Thompson said it in a dismissive tone.
As a PMC company that provides air combat adversary services, Tacair's business jets are just small regional aircraft, but its helicopters are still quite impressive.
A brand-new UH-60 costs $40 million, while a refurbished one costs $15 million. But instead of refurbishing, he simply picked up scraps handed over by third-class citizens and acquired three old Black Hawks for only $3 million.
It's so cheap without a fancy digital cockpit, a new engine, an IFF transponder, or onboard weapons, but that's an internal price that only Old Tang could get.
Even the cheapest private market price is still several million dollars. In many sparsely populated states, many private rescue companies will grit their teeth and buy one of their best-kept secrets, which is good at both transporting people and cargo.
Even fewer people own a used Chinook; those things start at tens of millions of dollars, and there aren't that many application scenarios. With the same budget, you could get two or three old Black Hawks.
Jihuo Defense, whose business is just starting in North America, can manage everything else, but helicopters are absolutely essential.
Given Xia Yu's status, he shouldn't be short of two helicopters, but this is the United States, not Afica where aircraft can fly around recklessly.
Referring to the AS550 of the European branch, all of them are registered, and the armed version used in the country's counter-terrorism deployment is also under emergency authorization. There is really no fertile ground for illegal flights to survive in these places.
So let's just stick to collecting scraps locally!
"Thompson, look, my company hasn't even opened yet, and I don't have any assets right now. Can you still get a Blackhawk of this quality? I don't mind if it's a little more expensive."
Xia Yu asked the other party directly.
"If anyone else asks me, I definitely won't have it, but if it's Sherlock, I absolutely have to!"
Old Tang was very good at the art of speaking; his words moved everyone who heard them, after all, a Black Hawk could save millions in budget.
"As for the price, since it's not for me, I can only help you negotiate it down to between 1.2 million and 1.5 million based on the condition. I'll take care of the registration."
"Thank you so much, we'll take three."
Each Black Hawk can carry 11 fully armed soldiers. Two Black Hawks are enough to meet the deployment needs of the North American branch, with one as a backup. The remaining one can also be used for reception work at the FHC Museum.
In addition, and most importantly, Xia Yu must leave a helicopter at the farm during his stay in the US so that he can get to Paine Airport as quickly as possible.
As for the Black Hawk being prone to crashing, that's because the ace pilot isn't on board. Even if the tail rotor is shot off by a rocket launcher, he can still spin and make an emergency landing at the nearest airport.
"Three aircraft? You're very optimistic about the North American business."
Having made a mental note of this, Old Tang asked again, after all, Tacair had only acquired 3 aircraft, while they were a large company operating dozens of fighter jets.
The other party only has a few dozen antique aircraft in the FHC Museum, which would be enough for flying around Paine Airport, with one helicopter. But Xia Yu bought three Black Hawks at once…
This clearly indicates a positive outlook on business in North America.
"Of course, this is America. I'm more optimistic about business in North America than in Europe."
Xia Yu revealed his true thoughts.
In Europe, especially Western Europe, the business is at most small counter-terrorism orders. If the situation in Eastern Europe develops as he predicted, Jihuo Defense will not get involved personally.
Wouldn't it be better to sell weapons, equipment, and essential supplies? Why insist on rushing to battlefields where there's no technological advantage?
In places like that, VDV, SAS, and SEAL Team 6 are all cannon fodder. They, who were originally focused on attacking the opponent, will turn around and be focused on by others.
Even a large army like Grenadier would need to number in the tens or hundreds of thousands to afford such a cost.
A small company like theirs, with no more than a hundred elite frontline soldiers and a total combat strength of no more than a thousand, could be wiped out by a single salvo of guided rockets.
The situation is different for the US. Their company is located in the US, and the US military acts as their bodyguards. Internally, they provide security services for the wealthy and fight against so-called gangs.
Its influence extends to the entirety of Central and South America, and it lifts all restrictions on things that cannot be used in North America.
As for whether or not to ask permission before pulling up radishes in someone else's backyard, Xia Yu chose to pull only one group.
No one, including a company, can be liked by everyone. Therefore, it is more efficient to befriend people who do not have obvious hostility towards you.
"Then I wish them the best of luck!"
Once inside the Black Hawk's rear cabin, Old Tang, who had also brought Xia Yu along, didn't bring up the topic, because it was time for them to leave.
"Splash splash"
The old UH-60 took off under the pilot's control and flew towards Reno Stead Airport, 100 kilometers away.
This was Xia Yu's first time visiting Tacair's headquarters. The last time she met Lao Tang was in Arizona, which borders Nevada.
Before the helicopter even landed, he saw an F-5AT returning to base after completing its training mission.
"Thompson, did you guys remove the aerial refueling capability from your F-5ATs?"
Since he couldn't see the fighter jet's refueling port, Xia Yu asked Lao Tang.
"In order to save on the budget, we cut two-thirds of it, and only the second batch of 6 F-5ATs retained the aerial refueling capability."
No system works like this; everything has to be carefully planned. As a second-generation aircraft, the Tiger II uses a hose for refueling, and the refueling probe can only be externally mounted.
"So, do you have any plans to purchase an aerial refueling tanker?"
"No, we can't afford a KC-10."
Good steel should be used where it's needed most. Apart from fighter jets and support helicopters, Tacair won't invest too much in other aircraft.
“During training deployments, we use the Navy and Air Force’s refueling aircraft as much as possible, but sometimes they don’t have enough themselves and have to find PMC companies that provide aerial refueling services.”
While explaining, Lao Tang didn't forget to make sarcastic remarks.
Because under these circumstances, they certainly can't take care of the contractors; the F-5ATs will have to pay for their own refueling.
"Then, once Jihuo Aviation Transport Company's Il-78s are ready and deployed to Seattle, we can engage in further cooperation."
Taking off his headphones, Xia Yu stepped off Black Hawk and spoke to Old Tang.
Forget about dealing with the US military; those are just rotten meat in the pot for local logistics-oriented PMC companies. But these PMC companies that focus on providing services to hypothetical adversaries are good targets for negotiation.
"The Il-78 is interesting, very interesting. I remember you told me you would provide logistical support for our customers, but Soviet-made tanker aircraft don't have rigid boom refueling systems, right?"
Thompson countered with a question.
Most F-16s use rigid refueling booms, but only the Block 60 Desert Falcon developed the CARTS flexible aerial refueling system, which can handle both rigid and flexible refueling.
It's impractical for customers to hire defense contractors to upgrade their old Fighting Falcons, so the only option is...
"We can have our Il-78."
Xia Yu said that with the system in hand, he had everything. Anyway, it was a big project to restore that Il-78 from a zombie plane to an airworthy state. Why not spend some more time upgrading the hard-pipe refueling system as well? There were so many old American tanker planes, and there were plenty of dismantled parts.
“Impressive, Tacair is willing to cooperate with Jihuo Air Transport Company.”
Thompson immediately agreed, feeling that Xia Yu was more decisive than himself and that he needed to support him at this time. "I won't thank you, but wouldn't I be stealing business from Omega Aerial Refueling Services (which owns Boeing 707 and DC-10 modified tanker aircraft)?"
"Are you scared? It's time to teach these unscrupulous merchants a lesson. They're charging us more than they charge the military."
Sensing Xia Yu's mocking tone, Old Tang also sneered.
He felt that this Texas company had gone astray and forgotten which side it belonged to. Fortunately, there were other companies outside that could provide support, so he decided to let them hold onto the military's orders.
"I'll recommend a few more competitors to you then, and we'll steal their business."
"Don't rush this, our Il-78s won't arrive until next year."
Xia Yu quickly waved his hand.
Several zombie planes, including the An-124, are still in transit and are not expected to arrive in Kedar until the end of the month.
Only after he completes the modifications can Ruslan have the maximum payload transatlantic delivery capability, since its maximum range is only 3,200 kilometers when the cargo hold is fully loaded with 150 tons of cargo.
This route simply cannot be flown without a dedicated aerial refueling tanker, so to be frank, Jihuo Defense still has too few refueling tankers.
Two aircraft can only meet the needs for the next few years; we'll need to acquire a few more when the opportunity arises.
…………
After visiting Tacair's headquarters, the group took a shuttle bus to a hangar in the far corner of the airport, where six fighter jets that had not yet been delivered were located.
"We have already installed smoke generators on the wingtip pylons of three F-16s. Since there aren't many cool maneuvers, we only need to practice them together twice."
Old Tang addressed the crowd.
The wealthy owner of that F-16C was also here. As the only single-seat aircraft among the six fighter jets, David wasn't nervous at all, because he was a regular at major aviation days across the United States.
Having already owned an F-4, he finally got to ride his familiar old buddy.
"Major David, you are the commander of this operation, and you will be in charge from now on."
Thompson called out by name.
"Yes, Major General!"
A private first class in the army remained silent.
Among so many people, he had the lowest rank when he served. Fortunately, he truly lived up to the saying "two years of compulsory service, a lifetime of military service".
After retiring, I entered the PMC industry, and now I'm only missing the Navy achievement (real combat experience) to be maxed out.
"Buzzing"
The following morning, six fighter jets, their engines running at low speed, arrived at the runway one after another from the taxiway. After receiving authorization from the control tower, they took off in sequence, soaring into the blue sky.
Under David's command, the two temporary squadrons made simple changes to their formations and flew over the airport together.
At the same time, Xia Yu and Thompson's online advertising efforts also began to pick up.
"The private aviation industry is booming, creating a large number of jobs!"
"Amazing! Six fighter jets delivered in one go, the Air Force was established through private crowdfunding!"
"After the former boss passed away, the FHC Museum was reopened, and it's worth making a special trip to Seattle."
"The third B-29, and the first Hybrid Fortress, is making a stunning maiden voyage. We look forward to your presence."
…………
In addition to these advertorials, there were also a large number of short videos shot by Thompson and Xia Yu, and the total number of views quickly increased from tens of thousands to millions.
"My God, can F-16s really be sold to private individuals?"
"Bro! You're too naive. Is there anything in this country that can't be sold?"
"Damn rich people, I envy them!"
"They're using the money they should be paying taxes on to buy this stuff."
…………
Tens of thousands of fresh, trending comments flooded the comment section, with more people expressing envy, jealousy, and hatred than actually criticizing.
Compared to older Europeans, Americans tend to flaunt their wealth more ostentatiously, which is why the wealthy are willing to cooperate with Xia Yu and Lao Tang.
After the joint training session, David changed out of his anti-G suit in the locker room and quickly scrolled through comments, witnessing the joys and sorrows of ordinary people. He liked this feeling.
"Guys, lunch is on me! Let's go to town and have a big meal!"
David's generosity won cheers from the crowd, and the meal was much better than the American-style aircrew kitchen.
Xia Yu also joined in for a free meal. Perhaps this is what it means to be a super-rich person in the United States, as if afraid others won't know how rich they are.
Mr. Xia, whose total assets are expected to exceed 10 billion this year, is definitely richer than David, but he feels that he and David are from completely different worlds.
Perhaps because they are Chinese at heart, apart from having more money, a richer collection, and a bit more firepower, they are not much different from ordinary families.
After finishing their meal, Xia Yu headed to the airport and flew back to Seattle because his wife had arrived.
Liv, who was visiting the United States for the second time, always felt out of place here. After all, her ancestors had never benefited from the United States in the more than 200 years since its founding, so her values were neither redneck nor white leftist.
However, the people of the neighboring country are too open-minded. The LGBT trend is leading the whole of Europe. Unlike the extremely conservative Russia, it has become a haven in the eyes of the conservative groups in the United States who do not agree with that system, and they have abandoned their own industries to support Russia.
Xia Yu could only say that being conservative wasn't so bad; being conservative meant you could at least hear two sounds when you farted, while being too loose meant you'd have to wear adult diapers.
He wouldn't even wear that thing when flying a fighter jet; he just uses a storage depot instead.
Over the next few days, Xia Yu accompanied his wife through various procedures until the two branch offices were successfully established, and the delivery date soon arrived.
In addition to Seattle locals, tens of thousands of residents have flocked here in the past two days, some arriving by plane and others by car from nearby states.
Most of them were there just to watch the spectacle. After all, apart from their more independent interests, ordinary Americans don't have many entertainment options, which is something that Ruko and Run often complain about.
Things are different now. The FHC Museum has undergone a major upgrade, and fighter jets have been delivered en masse. This is generating even more buzz than the sudden announcement of building Disneyland in Seattle. Who wouldn't want to come and take a look?
In particular, they also offer shooting experience services for machine guns, tank guns, anti-tank guns and howitzers.
For ordinary Americans who are tired of using pistols, rifles, and machine guns, these new guns are incredibly appealing, especially for those who can't find the time to make a special trip to Afica.
Some of them had already experienced similar services at two other museums, but the problem was that not only was the selection incomplete, but there were also no antique machines to see or sit on.
This time, FHC satisfies two needs at once. Apart from not being able to lick the ground, it's already the top floor in the US WWII military museum.
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