"These pirates are a real headache. The incident in Philippine last year had a terrible impact."
General Wang couldn't help but say something as well.
He was referring to an extremist group called Abu Sayyaf, which has been frequently clashing with government forces since the 1990s.
Last year, they directly captured Malawi, a city in southern Philippines, and raised a black flag to pledge allegiance to Essais. As a result, it took the military five months to eliminate about a thousand of the enemy's troops.
In order to combat terrorism, even his hometown donated a batch of CQ rifles and 260,000 high-precision sniper rifles, but who knew that ungrateful wretches could not be tamed and insisted on becoming the vanguard of the former sect leader.
"Yes, although their leader Hapiron was killed, their naval power was not weakened. Without the suppression of their headquarters, their expansion speed has actually accelerated."
Old Dai knew more about Abu Sayyaf's situation than Chief of Staff Wang, who had just taken office this year.
This extremist group's land forces were almost completely wiped out, so they transformed into pirates, which they had previously done as a side job, and committed several crimes every month on average.
Their target has been upgraded from small tugboats to large cargo ships, and their area of operation has been extended from the Sibutu Channel towards Malacca, which Singapore cannot ignore.
"Whether it's the army or the navy, they're all a bunch of good-for-nothings. And the Three Kingdoms naval patrol team is useless too."
Old Wang is young, but he sees things very clearly. If they, with all their money, can't control these pirates, then the navies of those poor countries are even more incompetent.
Moreover, the most crucial point has been overlooked: pirates can easily sell the personal belongings of crew members they rob, and the ransom they extort can be used directly, but selling various goods and fuels requires navigating an entire supply chain.
In other words, someone is tacitly approving and condoning this situation.
This is also why the naval forces in their county of Kuoxian are always hesitant in their strike operations; they spend a lot of money but fail to achieve the desired results.
"Can concentrated firepower really stop these vicious pirates?"
Chief of Staff Wang confirmed this with Major General Dai again.
"Yes, Chief of Staff, I think they definitely can."
Old Dai answered without hesitation.
"The other side's São Paulo aircraft carrier was hijacked by local pirates while being towed to the Gulf of Gineya. They first deployed fighter jets to lock onto the ship's real-time location, and then used helicopter formations to drop combat personnel onto the ship, successfully eliminating the pirates on both ships and rescuing all the crew members."
The first-person perspective video released by Jihuo Defense is still on his office computer; this company is indeed very professional.
"That's impressive, but I've heard their land warfare is even better."
Chief of Staff Wang, whose specialty is infantry command, is more interested in land warfare capabilities for concentrated fire defense.
Apart from the Leopard 2A4SG tanks and M113 armored vehicles purchased from abroad, the Bionix tracked infantry fighting vehicles and AV-81 heavy-duty 8x8 vehicles from Kui County are all domestically developed.
The newly developed Hunter infantry fighting vehicle has also begun mass production this year and will be ready for deployment next year.
Having led such a highly mechanized army, Old Wang was extremely proud.
However, since his work has always been focused on China, he doesn't know much about PMC companies like Jihuo Defense. It was only because of Xia Yu's impromptu visit that he learned a little about them.
"Yes, what's most unique about their company is that they have a small combined armored force. They don't have many vehicles, but they are very powerful in combat."
Old Dai, a naval officer, knew more about concentrated fire defense than his superiors because of his interest, but his understanding was only superficial.
At a deeper level, he failed to grasp the boss's character.
Americans and Chinese are the most qualified to speak on this matter, as they are the kind of people who have been exploited, especially the American army, navy, and air force, which have all been manipulated by Mr. Xia.
"Then there's the Army Aviation. Their modified Hinds are no less capable than our Longbow Apaches. Combined with ground forces, they can be said to have swept through Afica. That's why they have the spare capacity to develop maritime operations."
Old Dai continued his analysis for the leader.
The development of maritime business has mainly reached this stage. Piracy in the Gulf of Guinea has always been a problem. For example, during the opening days of the aircraft carrier museum, the visitors were mostly ocean-going yachts.
In contrast, those coastal boats in the Mediterranean, traveling down the West Philippine coast, may not encounter much wind or waves, but they can still rob you and your boat.
Only a prince like Hamandan, who seeks amusement, can defeat pirates and pass through the Gulf of Gineya unharmed; other merchant ships are not very safe at their near-shore anchorages.
The less safe Southeast Ya waters also urgently need private maritime strike operations, and being close enough to his hometown makes it easier for Xia Yu to obtain personnel support.
It's not hard to understand why a branch office would be located in Singapore. Furthermore, since ancient times, Malacca has been a sea route connecting Europe and Asia, and countless merchant ships laden with gold and silver treasures have sunk there.
This is a huge treasure. Xia Yu, who is in his prime, can't find the time, but he will have plenty of time to search for it after he retires.
In the meantime, the collection of relevant data is also very important, requiring in-depth exploration by research vessels like the Haiyan.
The problem is that this area is teeming with pirates, so he needs to acquire a decommissioned warship with sufficient firepower to safeguard the scientific research expedition.
A number of reasons prompted Xia Yu to come to Singapore and stand in front of this conference room.
"Good morning, Lieutenant General Wang and Major General Dai!"
The accompanying brigadier general knocked on the door, and Xia Yu, who had been waiting for a long time, greeted the two people who entered the conference room.
"The weather is lovely today, Mr. Xia. I believe our cooperation will be as bright as this ray of sunshine!"
After General Wang stood up, he spoke first.
He speaks Mandarin quite well. He rose through the ranks and positions in the military quickly, and he retired just as quickly. Old Wang will only be the Chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces for a few years before taking off his uniform and entering politics. It is very necessary for him to be proficient in four official languages.
"I believe so. The peace and stability of the Strait of Malacca is also something that China values. Your side is willing to take responsibility, and Jihuo Defense is also willing to lend a helping hand."
Xia Yu replied just as sincerely.
Of course, it's a paid service. Small businesses can't do much charity, but newcomers don't have to pay in the first year; they can offset the contract price with equipment.
"What, you want our Resilience-class?"
Halfway through the conversation, Xia Yu finally revealed his true intentions and the purpose of his trip.
"Your four Resilience-class ships are all over ten years old. Compared to the previous price of 200 million Singapore dollars for two Ang Tong-class ships with weapons, two LCMs and two LCVPs, the old ships without landing craft and secondary weapons are worth at most 50 million Singapore dollars."
Xia Yu immediately gave the other party a calculation.
He rejected all the original auxiliary landing craft and kept only one Oto Melara 76mm naval gun.
The rest, such as the two Mistral air defense systems, the two MK-38 remote-controlled small water hoses (25mm), and the two 12.7mm heavy machine guns, you should remove them and save them as spare parts for other ships!
Xiayu needs to be equipped with anti-ship and anti-aircraft missiles, an 11-tube 30mm close-in weapon system, and a new multi-functional rocket launcher.
The Taiwanese spend over 100 million to buy a ship hull and install radar and shipborne weapon systems themselves. He wants a ship hull without spending a penny and sends it back to his hometown to install the most advanced reconnaissance and defense systems.
"So, the cost of hiring a Resilient-class destroyer is just the basic fee for a year of patrols and strikes by Concentrated Firepower. Other fees will depend on the specific circumstances, and we will come up with a reasonable fee schedule at that time."
He said it in a tone that implied you'd made a killing.
Chief of Staff Wang and Lao Dai looked at each other and suddenly realized that what the other said made sense. Their four Endurance-class ships were all old ships, and it was normal for their residual value to have fallen to 30% of what it was back then.
The sudden decommissioning of one of the Endurance-class destroyers just puts the Navy at a manpower shortage, doesn't it?
“If there’s a shortage of personnel, just fill it up. Your side must have a new shipbuilding plan. Besides, how can a dock landing ship compare to an amphibious assault ship? I think the Resilient 160 is a good option.”
Xia Yu continued to persuade him.
He had done his homework beforehand. The Resilience 160 was a design they came up with in 2015, with the goal of building an amphibious assault ship with a through deck, a displacement of about 15,000 tons, the ability to simultaneously launch and recover 5 helicopters, and equipped with a hangar, garage, and well deck.
Yes, because of the limited length of the deck, the Toughness 160 cannot allow the F-35B to take off from a short distance. Functionally, it is more like the Japanese Osumi-class, which can only take off and land helicopters.
To launch and land the F-160mm F-160mm carrier, it would need a quasi-aircraft carrier like the Izumo-class. Therefore, the Singaporeans are still hesitant about whether to lengthen it by one segment and upgrade it to a toughness 180mm or toughness 200mm.
Xia Yu certainly wanted them to build the Resilient 160. It would be crazy for a city to have an aircraft carrier, or even just a quasi-aircraft carrier. Even though he was the owner of a company that owned an aircraft carrier, he didn't have much confidence when he said this.
"I know that you prefer to build a Joint Multi-Mission Ship (JMMS) that can carry carrier-based fighter jets, but it may be more appropriate to build an experimental ship before the aircraft are in place."
This is to warn the other side not to try to achieve too much at once. Similarly, having such an experimental ship can also fill the gap in the Resilient-class fleet.
If that doesn't work, it's not difficult to get them to build another new tough ship. After all, they just delivered their second Antong-class ship two years ago, which sold to the Taiwanese for over 100 million dollars. Their own offer is even lower, so they can squeeze out the funds from anywhere. So let's just mortgage the old ship to them!
To be on the safe side, Xia Yu made two preparations.
If you don't give the other party a plausible reason, why should they let you take over their old ship that's retiring early?
Opportunities are reserved for those who are prepared, and he was very well prepared.
“Mr. Xia, what you’ve said is too sudden for us, and we cannot give you an answer immediately.”
The Resilience 160 construction plan was finalized during his tenure, which was very attractive to Old Dai, but at this point he still gave a very official response.
“I understand, I understand perfectly, so I will be in Singapore this week, waiting for your good news.”
Given the navy's desire to build ships, Xia Yu's words didn't sound forceful, since he had already shown considerable consideration for the other party.
He doesn't charge basic fees for maritime patrols and strikes, but wants you to pay for the project by providing a ship hull. He's a total philanthropist.
Yes, a philanthropist who skillfully uses the technique of getting something for nothing.
Xia Yu doesn't plan to cover the costs of port berthing, main engine maintenance, refueling, or water supply, except for the dock landing ship that he wants from Kao County.
His personnel are only responsible for the on-board maintenance of weapons, equipment, and main engines. After all, the home port of this dock landing ship is still the Taishi base at this stage, and it is fine to use the same team as the other three Resilient-class ships.
The offset of 50 million Singapore dollars also means that Xia Yu's base offer is less than 40 million US dollars a year.
The reason the price is low is because he has eliminated these hidden costs.
Once the initial equipment cost is invested, the remaining costs after deducting labor and ammunition costs are all profits.
This is the kind of business that can be done, and it can be considered a win-win situation!
After Xia Yu left, Chief of Staff Wang first held a meeting within the military, and then reported to the Ministry of National Defense to seek advice from the top leader and discuss whether to immediately push forward with Project Resilience 170.
This is the upgrade plan for the Resilient 160 last year, with a full-length flight deck that is just over 170 meters long, just enough for the F-35B to take off short distance.
In fact, only in this way can the purpose of training, testing, and data collection be achieved.
Their combat capability is definitely lacking, but they haven't bought the F-35Bs yet, and even if they did, it's unknown when they would be delivered. Whether they can achieve combat capability is not important.
Looking at it this way, it seems we shouldn't revise the plan again; 170 toughness is suitable.
However, the filling in of design details and the shipyard's preliminary preparations will take time, and it is likely that construction will not officially begin until next year after all the procedures are completed.
The Xia Yu will also have to wait until next year. The radar and firepower upgrades for the Jianren-class ships will take three to five months. During the testing period, personnel will go on board for training, and it will take several more months to achieve combat readiness.
In summary, the Asian branch will have to wait until the first half of next year to officially open for business.
This year, the pirates can only be allowed to run rampant for a while longer, while Xia Yu, unaware of the decision made by the county, is visiting their army, navy, and air force.
Needless to say, the armored forces were also involved, and Xia Yu even got to sit in the front seat of the Air Force's F-15SG Strike Eagle for a test drive.
[Close-range air-to-air missile: AIM-9X (printable)]
Medium-range air-to-air missile: AIM-120C-7 (printable)
…………
Not only did he experience the controls, but he also opened the onboard weapons printout and printed out several missiles that were impossible to buy.
Xia Yu didn't steal anything; how can you call it stealing when it involves the system?
I kept two as spares, and disassembled the extras, removing the guidance head, radar, engine, etc., grinding off all the serial numbers, and took them home as gifts.
The whole part is too sensitive; replacing it with this type of component would solve the problem.
There's nothing that can be done about the highly classified AIM-260, even though it seems to be somewhat outdated even before it's officially deployed.
With the throttle valve pushed forward, the F-15SG soon flew out of Singapore and into the high seas.
That's how it is in a small country; air force training can be very stifling. Fortunately, we can still go to Tu'ao for training, where we can run wild as much as we want.
Xia Yu suddenly recalled the days he spent in the selection and training at Ao Daliya a few years ago.
Liv had just joined Focused Fire when she joined, and now she's the mother of his son. Time really flies!
After regaining his composure, the pilot had already taken him back to Kui County to prepare for landing.
"Mr. Xia, our Chief of Staff Wang requests your presence at the Ministry of National Defense."
As soon as Xia Yu got off the plane and took off his helmet, he received a message from Lao Wang.
"Oh, I'll go over there!"
He quickly took off his anti-G suit, got into the special car heading to the Ministry of National Defense, and thought to himself that something must have been decided on the tough-as-nails matter, and it must be a good decision.
The car stopped downstairs, and Xia Yu quickly went inside, where he was led to a conference room by a lieutenant colonel.
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