Norwegian Island is small in area, but it has a long and narrow shape and a long coastline.
Several air force bases are scattered across the region. Bode Air Force Base, where they are currently located, is within the Arctic Circle, where they can witness the polar day and polar night that excite foreigners but frustrate locals.
The F-16s stationed and stored here are not kept in the open air; the thickened hangars, designed to withstand severe cold and snow, are made of very sturdy materials.
[Project: f-16amblock5]
Completeness: 97.5% (Ready for repair)
Entering the hangar, I touched the single-seat Fighting Falcon closest to me, and the system displayed its relevant information.
It's still from the Block 5 batch, which is really old. It's a mid-life upgrade of the MLU from the 1990s. Apart from extending the lifespan of the airframe, it only replaced the AN/APG-662 radar, added the AN/ALR-69 radar warning receiver, and the AN/ALQ-131 electronic countermeasures pod.
This configuration seems insufficient now, but it's enough for modifying unmanned target drones.
It's difficult to convert the single-seat version to civilian use. If it's not put into operation, consuming it is the most appropriate way to deal with it.
Compared to the Norwegian Air Force's large number of F-16AMs, their F-16BMs number only 12, which is Xia Yu's most valued target, and he must take them all if he has the chance.
The other party has decided to completely retire their F-16 fleet by 22 years, leaving none behind. Naturally, there will be no need to train new pilots, including the two F-16BMs still in service, which are now on the sale list.
Of course, we'll have to wait until the royal family completes the final fighter jet flight around Norway.
This year it's Princess Ingrid Lisander's turn, and next year it will be her brother Prince Sver Magnus's turn. After flying his final royal back seat flight, he can retire and fulfill his delivery terms; there's no rush.
However, Jihuo Defense was not the only buyer interested in Norwegian F-16AM/BMs. Putting aside Romania, after Xia Yu completed the inspection of the 12 Fighting Falcons stored at Bode Air Base, he had dinner and settled in at the base.
"Beep beep beep"
His satellite phone rang, and the caller ID showed it was Thompson.
"Sherlock, are you in Norway right now?"
As soon as the call connected, Lao Tang asked.
"Yes, I'm here, but I don't remember being on camera."
Xia Yu was initially certain, but then became doubtful.
Norwegian royal family activities will definitely involve a film crew to promote the princess to the nation.
As a foreigner and an outsider, he would generally avoid being on camera, but where did Old Tang get the information?
"It's Jared Isaacman, the owner of Draken International. This guy said a company wants to steal his F-16. The plane is flying to Europe tonight, and tomorrow he'll be there to attend Princess Norwegian's royal backseat flight."
Thompson revealed this from across the Atlantic.
"I used to think ATAC was the only competitor, but who knew Draken International was also interested in the Warhawk."
There are seven PMC companies that want to contract for the Air Force and Navy adversary business. Among them, ATAC CEO Jeffrey Parker acquired 29 old Fighting Falcons from Yissler, making ATAC a formidable rival to TACAir in the Navy project.
Now, Draken International has caught up and wants to acquire a batch of old fighting falcons from Northern Europe to join the competition.
Having intercepted the intelligence, Lao Tang immediately contacted Xia Yu, intending to work with his partners to take down Draken International.
Yes, just like when Xia Yu made the first move in Switzerland.
There was nothing they could do; the other party was a large company valued at two billion US dollars, and Tacair's total assets and development potential combined were only slightly more than half of theirs.
If we fall behind in this step, it will be difficult for the F-5AT alone to withstand the combined attack of the two companies' F-16s.
If you can't beat them, join them! They, Tacair, can also operate F-16s!
Thompson was initially very conflicted because his next focus was on buying a batch of Hornets to fulfill Air Force contracts. However, the collaboration with Xia Yu led to a double-digit influx of F-16C/D fighters into the US civilian fighter market.
The wealthy are extremely busy, and their physical condition can't support frequent takeoffs. These idle fighter jets could be rented to their company!
Alternatively, leasing can offset maintenance costs. Wealthy individuals who find it expensive to own business jets and yachts may choose to lease them out to balance the expenses of ownership. Fighter jets naturally have a similar practice.
Just reaching double digits is still a bit too few; doubling it would be just right to make a fleet of 20+ F-16s.
However, Thompson couldn't get there in time, so he quickly contacted Xia Yu and asked him to help acquire 12 single-seat models, while also thwarting Draken International's procurement plan.
"12 aircraft, right? I'll try my best to pick the newest batches for you, with more remaining flight hours."
Xia Yu agreed over the phone.
He originally only planned to buy about ten Fighting Falcons, but Old Tang proposed a group purchase. With such a good opportunity, he had to bring down the price no matter what!
"Thank you then. If Jared misses out on this batch from Norwegian, he'll lose the initiative if he goes to Hehe and Danmai to buy from them."
Thompson finally breathed a sigh of relief.
Everyone being connected through connections means they're all on the same starting line; not engaging in an arms race is tantamount to having no competitiveness.
The purchase of these 12 F-16AMs cost hundreds of millions of dollars, wiping out the hard-earned profits from a whole year of hard work!
Hundreds of millions in revenue and hundreds of millions in profit – this is the true revenue data of a technology-based PMC company.
Jihuo Defense's high net profit is mainly due to Xia Yu's extraordinary luck; no one else would have such good fortune.
Nothing happened that night. The next morning, Xia Yu got up early and went to the base restaurant for breakfast.
The only decent option is dry bread with butter and salmon sandwiched in it; locally caught Atlantic salmon tastes pretty good.
The bread was too hard on my teeth. I guess these Scandinavians don't get mouth ulcers very often!
Halfway through Xia Yu's meal, the princess and the film crew arrived at the restaurant. Yesterday, she visited the base, learned about the take-off and combat procedures of the F-16 and F-35, and underwent a relevant medical examination, confirming that her health condition was suitable for flying.
The same applies to aircraft carrier museums; not only must a physical examination be conducted, but a no-liability agreement must also be signed.
After a whole day of fuss, the two-hour Royal Backseat flight will begin today, the second day of the month. In addition to the unexpected appearance of the owner of Draken International, representatives from the Romnia Air Force will also be present at the event.
A royal event unexpectedly brought together three factions interested in Norway's F-16AM/BM aircraft.
It must be said that the royal family is indeed a good brand. Apart from the Japanese royal family, which is not well-liked, the royal families of many modern constitutional monarchies are very useful in politics and economics.
Especially since this princess is the future Queen of Norway, and her brother's right to the throne is after hers.
But when it comes to beauty, Princess Rui'an next door is still superior. Xia Yu hopes that her precious Charlotte will not be inferior to her when she grows up.
As for the princess of England with the same name, she is cute, but her facial features are too similar to her father William, so she basically poses no threat.
After finishing breakfast, Ingrid went to the dressing room to change into a well-fitting anti-G suit. While she was talking with a major general from the Romagna Air Force, Jared's private plane finally arrived.
As soon as Xia Yu stepped off the plane in Northern Europe, the owner of Draken International locked eyes with him. They confirmed each other's identities without exchanging a word, but the real confrontation was yet to come.
He was led by the Norwegian military official to talk to the princess for a few minutes, and the cameras did not film him.
It wasn't until Air Force Commander Major General Rolf Wolland personally took to the skies, piloting F-16BM number 691, the best-condition aircraft, carrying Ingrid, that the three forces finally faced off.
"Gentlemen, Romagna urgently needs this batch of Norwegian F-16AMs, and there are only 32 of them. We hope we can reach a solution that satisfies all three parties."
The major general of the Romagna Air Force spoke first, stating their demands.
Yes, they only bought 32 aircraft, and the remaining two companies can redistribute them.
But besides them, there was another PMC company that didn't come to the event, represented by Xia Yu.
What are your country's specific requirements for these 32 F-16AMs?
Xia Yu asked.
“We purchased a batch of F-16s from Portugal for pilot training, but those were second-hand aircraft purchased by them from the US Air Force. So for this batch of 32 aircraft, we need the ones in the best condition with the most remaining flight hours.”
Hearing the major general say that, Xia Yu relaxed.
Good condition means higher price; even the F-16AM is more expensive than the batch of F-16C/D he previously acquired.
Xia Yu, who possesses a system, would never choose such a second-hand machine that retains its value; he needs those old fighter jets that are on the verge of being scrapped and whose prices can be drastically reduced.
"Concentrated Firepower Defense is willing to give your country priority in selection, but we need all of our F-16BMs."
Xia Yu also expressed his attitude.
"I agree!"
Jared was prepared to give the Romani Air Force some face, but Xia Yu wouldn't give him any face. After deducting 32 aircraft, he concentrated all the remaining Fighting Falcons on fire defense.
The Norwegian Air Force originally had more than 70 F-16s. After deducting those that crashed, those donated to museums and schools, there are 64 aircraft in storage and still in service.
Of these 64 aircraft, 13 were unsuitable for repair due to lack of spare parts, with prices ranging from tens to hundreds of thousands of dollars depending on the extent of the missing parts.
However, just because Norwegian can't repair it doesn't mean Xia Yu can't. This time, he really encountered an unexpected stroke of good luck.
At that time, these spare parts will be prepared to airworthiness and then converted into unmanned target drones, making direct use of waste.
However, 64-32-13-12=7 aircraft, which is still 5 aircraft short of Old Tang's needs.
Oh dear, clearing out the Norwegian Air Force's hangar isn't enough. It looks like he'll have to postpone his return home. He'll need to find a dozen or so old Fighting Falcons in Europe to meet Tacair's needs.
"Our company needs 12 F-16s. After deducting the 13 spare parts aircraft, we wonder if we can reach an agreement with your company regarding the allocation of the remaining 19 fighter jets."
After Jared finished speaking, he looked at Xia Yu.
Draken International also wants 12 F-16s. It seems Old Tom's intelligence was very accurate, directly hitting the other side's weak spot.
But there are only 7 airworthy aircraft left for Jihuo Defense, and they're still talking about reaching a consensus. If this old guy isn't sincere, then he doesn't need to be polite.
"Mr. Jared, it seems we will have difficulty reaching an agreement. Focus Fire Defense wants 32 F-16AM/BMs, including 13 spare parts aircraft."
Xia Yu said directly.
With Tacair sharing the burden, the acquisition of Jihuo Defense was effortless, and they could even acquire another batch.
This one country and one company divided up Norwegian Fighter Falcon fleet; no one present had ever seen such an efficient transaction.
Old Jia was stunned for a few seconds, then quickly realized that Thompson and the other side were sniping at him, and he had no way to do anything about it.
In business, only customers with large demand have a say. Their 12 aircraft were no match for the other side's 32. They should just admit defeat and choose the backup plan.
The problem is that these 32 aircraft are far from sufficient for Xia Yu's needs, and isn't Draken International's backup plan essentially a concentrated firepower defense plan?
After watching the other party give up and leave, Xia Yu immediately called Lao Tang.
"It worked. The other party admitted defeat and left Nuowei, but judging from his unwillingness to accept it, he obviously won't go back immediately. Do you know what other backup plans they have?"
Xia Yu told Lao Tang that even if he acquired all 32 F-16s, it still wouldn't satisfy the needs of the two companies, so he planned to "hijack" them again.
“Billie, he has some connections in Belgium, but the country hasn’t made any announcements about selling the warfighting falcon like Norwegian has. You’ll have to go there to find out the specifics.”
Old Tang immediately replied that his intelligence was also limited; he had only followed Billy, and he didn't know the specifics.
“Billie, Billy, that’s great. I happen to have some connections. If he goes to Hehe Danmai, I really won’t be able to do anything about it.”
Upon hearing that it was from this country, Xia Yu said with a meaningful tone.
The United States has a significant influence over Belgium, but if you ask them why they bought so many F-16s during the Cold War instead of purchasing Mirage 2000s from Dassault, you might wonder why.
The main problem was the time constraints. The French-made third-generation fighter jet made its maiden flight in 1978, but it didn't go into mass production until the 1980s. Mirage 5 user Billy couldn't wait and bought F-16s in bulk with three other countries.
The country purchased 160 fighter jets in two batches, far exceeding its size. Therefore, after the end of the Cold War, Belgium sold off a large number of second-hand Fighting Falcons, recouping a significant amount of funds.
The F-16 fleet that is still in existence is being gradually replaced by the F-35, but only 34 have been purchased, making it less formidable than it once was.
Or rather, it should be this way. Backed by Germany, the Belgian army doesn't even have heavy infantry fighting vehicles or main battle tanks, and its air force only undertakes responsibilities within the system.
Jared approached Billy Shih, a traditional F-16 seller, and if Xia Yu didn't intervene, he might actually be able to find a batch of F-16s in pretty good condition, especially the one Billy Shih placed in the 1990s, which is less than 30 years old to this day.
Such a good warhawk should be upgraded to Tacair, not some Draken International.
Being Xia Yu's friend is far better than being his enemy. Old Tang should be most grateful that he was the first to get close to Boss Huang.
If Jared gets there first, now I'm the one who should be worried.
After hanging up the phone, Xia Yu made a few more calls until two hours later, when the F-16BM and its accompanying F-16AM came into view.
The princess has returned. After circling Norwegian aircraft once, she returned to base and gave an interview immediately after disembarking from her fighter jet.
Xia Yu didn't pay much attention, just watched the other party leave his fighter jet, and then found the newly formed Air Force Assets Sale Group to negotiate the specific price of 32 Fighting Falcons.
The 32 aircraft in Romagna cost over 10 million euros each, while the batch from Jihuo Defense was much cheaper.
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