Bulawayo enjoyed such treatment mainly thanks to its unique geographical position. Located deep in the south-central interior of East Africa and near the Kalahari Basin, Bulawayo offered strong secrecy. Beyond that, it also possessed formidable industry, a comfortable climate, open terrain, and more.
As a result, many of East Africa's defense projects, scientific research programs, military facilities, various testing grounds, and even military units preferred to be stationed here.
Take East Africa's Nuclear Engineering program. Although the East African nuclear test site was not located in Bulawayo, but in the Kalahari Desert west of Lorraine Province,
Bulawayo, as the provincial capital of Lorraine Province, could serve as a logistical support base. At the same time, Bulawayo itself possessed relatively strong industrial capabilities, making it easier to establish related industries here, such as nuclear raw-material refining, uranium enrichment, high-energy explosives, heat-resistant materials, precision mechanical processing, and so on.
Many of these supporting industries could be completed independently within Bulawayo itself, greatly reducing research and development costs, lowering the risk of leaks, and facilitating the supply of supporting facilities and components.
Western Lorraine Province was almost completely uninhabited, and the basin terrain was relatively enclosed. Even if a nuclear accident occurred, it could reduce the risk of nuclear radiation spreading. At the same time, it was also conducive to scientific research projects requiring secrecy, such as aerospace engineering.
In short, Lorraine Province's defense industry held an important position in East Africa. This time, the flight test field where the FT01 experimental aircraft was located was one of the supporting facilities for these vital defense industries. Bulawayo had gathered every element needed for the development of the aviation industry.
Therefore, it was hardly surprising that Bulawayo had taken an earlier lead than other cities in jet aircraft research and development.
Heinoan said to