"A antelope, a super bumblebee, and a doe."
The deputy took off his sunglasses; he always felt that the Mi-24V was a bit strange.
"Switching to Tiger would be the right choice. I've only seen this combination in 2007."
The captain said with great emotion.
The Navy retired all Super Frelons in 10 years and replaced them with the better Caracal. The Tiger was deployed on board in 2007. As for the Gazelle, it goes without saying that it was commissioned into the Army, Navy and Aviation in the 1970s, which is less than half a century ago!
"That's why PMC's helicopter fleet is so powerful; it has to be in the top tier in the industry."
"They have a lot of solid equipment, but I've heard that they're not on the same scale. Most of their counterparts deployed in Mali are a combination of dolphins and antelopes."
The female deer's firepower was too strong, and with the cheap retired second-hand equipment they could get from the Fat Army, both the Blackfoot Alliance and Golden Oak were equipped with single-digit numbers of armed Dolphin AS-365Ms, as well as double-digit numbers of Gazelles.
Well, some of them are remnants of the White Hat line. As long as they can still fly, they shouldn't even think about retiring.
"That means they're going for the elite assault route. With fewer people, they focus on increasing combat effectiveness. They're more efficient at their work than ordinary contractors, which explains why the Ministry of Defense hires them."
The two expressed their understanding, saying that the Chinese military, like most Western armies, cannot afford to lose people.
The payment of compensation is only a small part; what is more important is domestic public opinion. Since Operation Barkhane began, they have lost double digits of soldiers.
The media always asks when the operation will end and when our troops will be withdrawn.
The politicians were speechless. Did you really think we wanted to fight terrorism?
It's really good to have troops stationed there to exert influence. Of course, it can also be a good way to train soldiers, since it's a rare opportunity for real combat.
However, it's difficult to explain when there are too many casualties. For some high-risk combat missions, subcontracting them directly to military contractors is the most suitable option.
They're paid to risk their lives, and nobody cares about their death toll. Although many of these contractors are just employees who have changed into military uniforms and removed their national flags, they're still the same people.
That's how it is when you go from serving a country to serving a company; just take it easy.
"Splash splash"
The fleet traveled across Gineya and arrived first at Bacoma, the capital of Marí.
This is the headquarters of the United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in Mali (MINUSMA) and the command post of Operation Barkhane.
Along with the Mari government forces, the personnel deployment and material transportation of the three forces all transited through here.
"Go to Oga, your little antelopes, just transport them there by transport plane. We've set up a supply point in Mortipu."
After meeting with a brigadier general in charge of them, Xia Yu received specific deployment instructions.
The current Marie is divided into three war zones, with Oga, the gateway to the Sahara, belonging to the east.
However, even this nearest combat zone is 1,500 kilometers away from Bacoma, the capital of Mali. Whether it's the Super Hornet or the Hind, with a range of just over 1,000 kilometers, they all need to refuel en route.
"Our fighter jets are also deployed to Oga, right?"
"Yes, there is a squadron of Mirage-2000Ds and two Mirage F1CRs of the Golden Oak at the airport there."
The brigadier general gave an affirmative answer.
The Blackfoot Alliance was still using the Mirage III, so they couldn't take on air strike jobs. Golden Oak, on the other hand, was very farsighted. Two years ago, they deployed two relatively new, late-model Mirage F1CRs, and they got the job at the crucial moment!
Although they were reconnaissance aircraft, thanks to the resourcefulness of the Germans, they retired the Mirage F1CRs but still managed to remove the Thales ASTAC tactical signal analyzer pods and install them on the Mirage-2000Ds. The two Mirage F1CRs of Golden Oak Leaf were not much better than the Mirage F1 shot down by Xia Yu.
It is indeed better than the F-4K in air combat, but its payload is much weaker. The theoretical maximum payload is said to be 6,300 kg, but in reality it can only carry 4,000 kg, which is eight or nine Mk82 rounds less.
If it's a precision-guided munition, a smaller payload isn't a big deal. However, the first generation of laser-guided bombs developed by the Matra and Thomson-CSF were not very accurate, which is why the Mirage 2000D was fitted with the Paveway II after the turn of the millennium.
The old stock from back then has long been cleared out, and Golden Oak Leaf can only be used to drop iron bombs or launch expensive air-to-ground missiles.
Missiles are too expensive to fire, and aerial bombs have to compensate for the lack of precision with sheer numbers. So it's fine when there's no competition, but once there is competition, there's a comparison to be made.
In addition, the PLA's own fighter squadron of six Mirage-2000Ds is struggling to cover three theaters of war, but the addition of concentrated fire defense will make things much better.
Furthermore, Alvin also wanted to increase his intensity, so he stayed in Konluga and could only fly for two or three hours each week, which was practically a way to maintain his health.
"Fruit Bat, get to Oga in Marie before 3 p.m. tomorrow after lunch."
"Yes, boss!"
After hanging up Xia Yu's call, Alvin immediately found Wang Kai, and the two went back together to pack their luggage.
We're finally about to set off; I've been waiting for so long.
He felt that real combat suited him better than acting as a hypothetical enemy, even if it was just air-to-ground strikes, it was still better than simulated air combat!
Alvin thought so, and Xia Yu agreed with his opinion.
After arranging for his men to stay at a nearby hotel, he called Kuhn again.
The convoy has already set off. In addition to their three vehicles, the military's equipment and supplies transport team also allocated three heavy trucks to them, so that everything could be transported in one trip.
The shipment of Leclercs sent to Joachim from the direction of Alain-Arnold has already been loaded onto the ship.
The two vehicles belonging to the concentrated fire defense were loaded onto a separate small boat and officially sent to Gineya.
They won't need to come and pick up the car; the Malaysians will help deliver it to the front lines in Oga.
As for Hans and Domi, their courses are still half a month away, so they should be able to arrive a week earlier than the car.
That's not bad, considering that it takes too long to modify a vehicle into a combat-ready unit.
As for whether or not to call Hans, Xia Yu felt it would be better to talk things out face-to-face, after all, it's better to keep the good stuff in the family!
Instead of letting such a wonderful younger sister benefit an outsider, why not let her become my brother's wife? This would directly upgrade our relationship from brothers to brother-in-law.
Nephew dog, nephew dog, eat and then leave.
We don't need a bite to eat right now, but Xia Yu has a little weasel, so we'll have to rely on Uncle Meerkat driving a tank to earn back the money for diapers.
Absolutely, since he plans to have children from both crews, the burden falls entirely on Hans's shoulders!
To be honest, Liv wasn't ready to be a mother yet, but when the time is right, it will come. Just take it easy.
Nothing happened that night. The next day, after breakfast, Lyman and Kohler stayed behind to meet the transport convoy.
After checking the condition of Super Hornet and Doe, the remaining crew officially took off for Oga.
Leaving the capital city where there is still some greenery, all you can see is desert.
Actually, we haven't reached the desert yet. It's just that because it's the dry season, the savanna has turned into a desert. It will be much better when the rainy season comes.
However, from Oga to Kedar in the north, it's really just sand, nothing but sand.
The reason why Mari became chaotic is closer to the ethnic rebellion of Guo than to the religious conflict of Zhongfei.
The Tuareg people, who make a living by herding in the desert, do not want to be governed by Bakoma. They want to establish their own Azawad (state) in northern Mari.
Xia Yu had specifically researched that back in the Kingdom of Mari, the Tuareg people were notorious bandits in the desert. They would attack caravans crossing the desert, and later, in order to sustain their plundering, they changed from directly robbing to collecting protection money.
In modern times, these guys haven't changed much. Many of them would choose to become mercenaries in Libya after they grew up, but with the downfall of Colonel Gaddafi, they all returned to their hometowns with their weapons.
Back then, the arrogant Gaddafi was throwing money around the world, buying so much equipment that what they brought back was all high-quality stuff, far superior to what the Bacoma government forces had acquired. This fueled their desire for separatism.
Needless to say, first the Azawad Coordination Movement was established, followed by armed groups such as the Ansadin Brigade, the Masked Brigade, and the Movement for the Unity of West Africa, until later jihadists also joined in, turning the entire Mali region near the Sahel into a complete mess.
This is something even the French who planted the spies (letting the Tuareg mercenaries escape) didn't expect; how did these guys become so powerful?
This is what happens when Pandora's box is opened; it is the local people who suffer the most from the ravages of war.
Xia Yu hopes to use the budget of the people of the country to bring them short-term peace.
Yes, in the short term.
Unless the Bakma and Tuareg people put aside their hatred, like the millions of Luwangda who have surrendered, and shake hands and make peace, even ceasing to distinguish between races and turning their guns against a common enemy, it will be difficult to achieve long-term peace.
Even if the Tuareg people ran away, it wouldn't matter, since Tuareg had been bandits for over a thousand years, and herding was really just a side job.
Therefore, achieving short-term peace is already a good outcome. The task of the concentrated fire defense is to spend a few months driving the armed groups entrenched in Oga out of the city.
"Mr. Weasel, welcome to Oga."
At the military camp next to Auga Airport, Colonel Monier, the person in charge, welcomed Xia Yu.
"I believe you will soon love it here. Apart from the Azawad Coordination Movement which is mixed in with the main city, there are more than 100 armed factions with more than 10 guns in the area north of Oga. It's enough to drive you crazy."
Counter-terrorism, counter-terrorism, the more you fight it, the more terrorism there is. No wonder Monier went straight to the point from the start; he was indeed under a lot of pressure.
"Colonel Monier, how many of them are there? Three thousand, or five thousand?"
Xia Yu was not intimidated, and asked a question.
"The main urban area has 40,000 people, including at least 2,000 Tuareg people. The entire Oga district has more than 500,000 people, and there are at least 4,000 people from various armed factions."
Monier provided approximate figures.
"It's been three years. They killed each other, and we killed them too, but their numbers are still growing. I don't want to say anything about it except for cursing."
He was a grumpy guy, but rather restrained. Xia Yu had formed a preliminary assessment of Monier.
"Of course, even more civilians died. It was just yesterday, I think. There was a 'boom,' and nine people died in the neighborhood near the airport. Of course, many more were injured. It was horrific."
It's pretty bad. This style is clearly that of jihadists. If it were the Azawad Coordinating Movement, they would have just launched a barrage of rockets.
Unlike most government forces and rebel groups that use 107mm rocket launchers to wage guerrilla warfare, the Tuareg people actually have BM-21 Hail rocket launchers.
All we can say is that we are grateful for Colonel Gatchai's gift, but they used up a lot of rockets over the three years, even though they were very frugal.
"There was hail in Oga. The last time they used it was a year ago, which directly silenced the government forces."
Monier took a sip of water and continued.
“I’ve been on guard that if they ever resupply their ammunition, we and the blue helmets could very well become their new targets.”
The French started fighting, but the blue helmets joined in. It just goes to show that not everyone gives face to the United Nations. It's safer not to fight back. These people know how to pick on the weak.
"We need to be careful. Rockets are terrifying. If it were hail, thirty or forty of them would come down in a volley and you wouldn't have time to react. I'd rather be bombarded by a 155mm howitzer."
Xia Yu strongly agreed, saying that he brought his men there to make money, and getting bombed would be too much of a disaster.
In truth, it's the Chinese who created this mess. You let the Tuareg people go back, but you had to leave their heavy equipment behind!
As a result, none of them were kept, and now even their own people are living in fear.
"Yes, if they assemble more than three howitzers, they can be detected immediately, but rocket launchers are too difficult to catch."
Monier refers to drones. Xia Yu's old acquaintance, Snowy Owl, has already retired to the second line. The main type of drones deployed by the Chinese in the Sahel are the MQ-9A Reaper, which they bought from the US.
What's bizarre is that the Reaper they bought didn't have reconnaissance and strike capabilities; it could only conduct aerial reconnaissance.
I don't quite understand this thought process; is the priority to find the terrorists first, and then quickly take off in a Mirage-2000D?
Possibly, but even the worst MQ-9A is better than the Sparrowhawk A. This time, relying on the intelligence system of the Germans, he didn't bring any drones at all.
Of course, a lot of consumer-grade models were brought along, and they were all customized models.
"boom"
The roar of fighter jets rose from afar, but neither of them looked up.
Neither the jihadists nor the Tuaregs have fighter jets, so there's nothing to worry about.
"Boss, the fruit bats have arrived!"
Alvin's voice came through the silent radio channel, indicating that the fighter jets in the sky were F-4Ks.
"Huang You received your message. You will remain at the airport and be stationed with the air force."
Xia Yu made the arrangements.
"Yes, boss!"
After Alvin finished speaking, he began to fly and land on the penumbra.
Monier also received a report from the control tower, so the two stopped their previous conversation and began to wander around the camp.
One person introduced the various facilities, while the other listened attentively, and Xia Yu quickly gained a fairly good understanding of the situation.
As a permanent camp, they don't need to pitch tents; they can directly stay in air-conditioned barracks.
This is especially precious in Mali during the dry season, when the daytime temperature is 40 or 50 degrees Celsius, making you sweat even if you're not working, and it's even harder to fall asleep at night.
Since Xia Yu had already finished drinking the water in the kettle, she simply filled another bottle using the storage container.
"It's alright at the camp, but going out to clear out the enemy is the most exhausting. The locals have long been accustomed to such high temperatures, and everyone who comes here has to overcome it."
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