The average price for the 13 spare parts was 800,000 euros, while the remaining 19 were quoted separately based on their condition, resulting in a price of 7 million euros per aircraft.
It was $1.5 million cheaper than the batch of F-16C/D Block 30s he purchased in Greece, but significantly more expensive than the batch of F-16AM/BMs that John bought from the Netherlands and Belgium.
Well, back then, a euro could be exchanged for 10 RMB. Xia Yu clearly remembers that when Lao Xia first went abroad to work, he brought back four 500 euro bills, which totaled more than 20,000 RMB.
But as of today, you can't even get 8 yuan for it anymore. It's depreciated quite a bit!
Xia Yu is going to Belgium next, where the price of goods will definitely not be cheaper, but fortunately, she has the opportunity to buy some of the best models from the 1990s.
The concentrated fire defense doesn't need it, but the TACAir is very rare because with this batch of F-16AM/BMs, they will be more competitive than the ATAC.
Compared to the lax military preparedness and complacency in Europe, the Jews were dropping aerial bombs every few days, bombing here and there.
Such frequent use severely strains the body's lifespan.
"It's a pleasure doing business with you!"
"It's a pleasure doing business with you!"
After signing his name in the contract's signature section, Xia Yu shook hands with the other party and said this.
The total price of 143.4 million euros is less than half the price of the commercial airliners he hoarded.
However, military equipment cannot be compared with civilian vehicles in this way. Xia Yu must grasp both aspects firmly, and only in this way can there be sufficient risk resistance.
In the face of today's complex, volatile, and uncertain world situation, it's essential to have some backup plans.
Stockpiling is essential; you must seize the opportunity to stockpile, converting all your surplus funds into physical goods so that you can make a fortune when the market turns around.
As the Lufthansa CEO said, the civil aviation industry will eventually recover, and the potential for local conflicts will also boost the trade in second-hand military equipment.
Items that are not selling well now will see significant price increases in the future, so it's time to buy at the bottom.
"That's the situation. I'm on my way to Billy, and I might not be back for another week."
As the Sherlock, flying from Norway towards Billy, connected to the satellite network and video-chatted with his wife, Xia Yu said this.
"It's alright. You bought so many things, and they all need to be sent to Mari. That's when I'll have something to do."
Liv had also heard that her husband had bought 32 more F-16s, supposedly in a group purchase with Tacair, but this trip to Belgium was actually to find planes for them.
Next, the aircraft graveyard in Kidal will really become lively, with dozens of fighter jets, transport planes, and civilian airliners being filled in, creating a scale that was never seen before.
Since the Cold War-themed museum can't open for the time being, let's get the aircraft graveyard and dismantling plant to take the lead.
Xia Yu couldn't stay in Mali for long, so having his wife keep an eye on things was just as good.
After the video ended, they arrived in Billy.
With an area of only 30,000 square kilometers, compared to city-states like Kushina, this country is truly small. It only gained independence in the 19th century, having been a colony of neighboring countries before that.
Perhaps that's why they rejected the German plan to build the Maginot Line within their territory during World War II.
Then the Germans actually used Belgium's blitzkrieg against Germany. If they had known this would happen, why did they refuse Germany's offer in the first place?
However, this small country rose to prominence during the Cold War, purchasing weapons and equipment in large quantities and developing its military industry vigorously.
Especially in the field of small arms, the magnesium military has praised its performance.
Xia Yu didn't care about a few guns; he was there to buy something big.
In addition to fighter jets from the Air Force, there are also armored vehicles from the Army.
However, in 2014, the Belgian Army underwent a major downsizing, selling off equipment purchased during the Cold War to domestic private companies.
"Splash splash"
After the Sherlock landed, Xia Yu transferred to a helicopter and quickly flew to Tournai, a city on the Belgian-French border.
Despite having only 70,000 people, this small city is home to the largest PMC company in the country.
Compared to Freddy, the owner of this company, Xia Yu before his trip to Oslo had only a fraction of the armored units he possessed.
But now, even after deducting the tanks and infantry fighting vehicles awaiting delivery, his strength far surpasses that of his opponent.
The helicopter landed in front of a large warehouse belonging to a company called Oipland Systems. It's hard to imagine that 400 armored vehicles are parked in this 27,000-square-meter warehouse.
However, half of them were Austrian SK-105s and German Leopard 1s, and Xia Yu had no interest in these old relics.
The 100 Italian copy-2 infantry fighting vehicles are more interesting; after upgrading and adding armor, they are not as fragile as the M113.
However, Jihuo Defense will not use this thing. If the price is cheap, they may consider buying low and selling high, since this thing is also an armored personnel carrier under the NATO system, and there will be countries that need it.
The high price is one thing, but the real purpose of Xia Yu's trip was to bring in the Cheetah air defense vehicles alongside these VCC-2s.
Seeing the military potential of consumer drones, he has set his sights on self-propelled anti-aircraft guns. Last time, he cleared out the old Cheetahs stored in Germany, and today he has finally set his sights on neighboring countries.
Among them, the last batch of 60 old Cheetahs were bought by the European Union as early as 2013. In Europe, apart from the Romagna, which is still in active service, the only other car in stock is the Belgian Cheetah.
"They're all here, a total of 38 vehicles."
Freddy gestured an area to Xia Yu and then said.
"I remember that the Belgian Army purchased a total of 55 Gepard self-propelled anti-aircraft guns back then."
After counting and confirming there were 38 vehicles, he asked the other party.
"Yes, we bought 55 back then, but equipment always breaks down. When I took over, the army cut 17 vehicles from their fleet and used them as spare parts for the Cheetahs that were in good condition. I picked 12 of them and bought them back, but they were stored in another warehouse."
Seeing that Xia Yu had come prepared, Freddy replied.
Those five vehicles are probably beyond repair; they're basically just shells, with even the gun barrels taken off and given to other vehicles. Their integrity is probably less than 40%.
“I want all 38 complete vehicles and 12 parts vehicles. As for the price, my people will have to evaluate it before I can give it to you.”
Xia Yu said directly.
With these 50 old Cheetahs as a base, his trip to Belgium was worthwhile.
As for the price, it's estimated to be around 500,000 euros; the market price is basically transparent.
However, this old Cheetah can't fire programmable airburst missiles, and its radar is outdated. It can only be used to intercept consumer drones and loitering munitions, so forget about using portable air defense missiles and anti-tank missiles.
Having been stored for almost six years, the condition of these self-propelled anti-aircraft guns is similar to that of the German batch, and they must be refurbished before they can be put into actual combat.
Of course, he also accepts upgrades and customizations and provides a variety of solutions if the customer has a need.
How much are these VCC-2 cartridges?
With the other party's consent, Xia Yu instructed his employees to check the condition of the old Cheetah vehicles and then inquired about the price of the Italian aluminum alloy canned goods in iron tins.
"180,000 euros, shipping not included."
It's a bit pricey; only the M2 Lao Gan Ma version isn't worth the price. But the armored ambulance, self-propelled anti-aircraft gun, and TOW missile launcher, all developed based on the same chassis, would be well worth the 180,000 euro price tag.
Xia Yu observed that among the hundreds of VCC-2 vehicles here, 20 were special-purpose derivative models.
"How about 20 basic models and 20 special models, priced at 180,000 euros per unit including shipping?" he began to haggle.
"Since your company still needs to deliver 50 Cheetah self-propelled anti-aircraft guns, why not also deliver 40 VCC-2s?"
"This, we'll do as you say."
Freddy agreed to Xia Yu's bargain without much hesitation.
He sold 90 cars in one go today; that's enough to live off for a whole year.
The Snow Leopard and Shrew teams were also very efficient. They checked the engines and radars, and then tested the turret's servo mechanism by powering it on. They confirmed that all 38 Cheetahs were in good condition, and the next day they started discussing the price of the vehicles.
Each spare part costs 100,000 euros, and each complete vehicle costs 450,000 euros, for a total price of 18.3 million euros. That's enough to buy two F-16C/D fighter jets.
Xia Yu paid a 6 million yuan prepayment on the spot, and even though shipping was tight, Freddy guaranteed that all the goods would be delivered to Damali within a quarter.
"Beep beep beep"
Just as he was leaving the Belgian-French border and heading back, he received a call from Hudson, the head of Rheinmetall's vehicle division.
"Hey, Sherlock, I have a business opportunity to introduce to you."
"That's what Hudson said on the phone," Hudson said.
Is it the Weasel S30 or the BTR-82S?
What kind of business is it?
"Regarding the business of the Cheetah self-propelled anti-aircraft gun, people from Gotthard came to Germany and contacted us, saying they wanted to buy a batch of Cheetahs. But we've already sold all our stock to you, so we might as well have them contact you directly."
Having shed the burden of Cheetah, Rheinmetall naturally no longer wants to do these scattered businesses, and can now simply hand them over to Focusfire Defense.
"I guess they were bought for the World Cup, and the quantity is definitely not large."
Recalling the information related to Gortar in his mind, Xia Yu spoke directly.
The Olympics scheduled for this year have been postponed for various reasons, but the 2022 Qatar World Cup should not be significantly affected. However, security issues must be handled with utmost care.
Purchasing a batch of Cheetah self-propelled anti-aircraft guns is understandable, but buying second-hand goods doesn't fit the image of a nouveau riche!
"You guessed right, they only need 15 vehicles, they just want to upgrade the radar and fire control."
Hudson continued.
The Cheetah had vehicles in stock, and the modification cycle was faster than that of the current production line. These factors led Gatta to choose the old Cheetah.
Rheinmetall, finding the deal too small, passed it on to Jihuo Defense.
"Let's not upgrade the Ahead ammunition; that would be too much of an undertaking and too expensive."
Xia Yu asked for details.
"No need. They need to deliver the goods within a year and then send instructors to train the participants until the start of the competition. The time is very tight, but the high price is not a problem."
Small steel needles of the same caliber can also shoot down consumer drones and loitering munitions; the problem is that the target must be located first.
"Understood, I'll wait for them to contact me."
Xia Yu hung up the phone.
For this deal, Jihuo Defense only provides a platform; the work of upgrading the radar and fire control still has to be left to their hometown. They don't care how much they earn.
After checking the time in China, he called Liv and asked her to take charge of liaising with the Gortars.
Xia Yu himself mainly focuses his energy on receiving goods, as that's where the bulk of the profit comes from.
However, upon returning to Brussels, the capital of Belgium, he ran into Jared, an old acquaintance he had just met.
“Mr. Jared, what a coincidence, we meet again.”
"It's you again! You're going to try and steal Billy's F-16s from Draken International."
When the other person greeted him, Jared responded with a displeased expression.
"What does it mean to rob? In the business world, strength always speaks volumes. Draken International's strength is insufficient, so naturally it cannot buy the fighter jets it desires."
Xia Yu said with a smile.
A small company valued at 2 billion can only scrape together 100 million in cash flow to buy an airplane; he doesn't even care about that amount of money.
However, Billy has enough F-16s that Xia Yu cannot acquire them all as he did in Norway.
In addition, Jared has been lobbying for so many days, so the other side should be able to get what they want this time. But this blocking tactic is not to prevent the other side from buying fighter jets, but to prevent them from buying the good batches.
Those older batches, starting from forty years ago, are plentiful on the secondhand market. People come all the way to Northern Europe specifically to buy some good stuff!
The best goods from Norwegian Air Force were picked up by Romney, while the second-best and worst goods were all snapped up by Xia Yu. Now, the goods have arrived in Belgium.
Currently, their air force only retains 54 Fighting Falcons (45 F-16AMs and 9 F-16BMs). However, in an accident in 2018, an F-16AM whose cannon accidentally fired shot down another F-16AM that was under maintenance, and then caught fire itself.
After this double loss, their Fighting Falcon squadron was reduced to 52 aircraft, and the number of F-16AM/BMs from the 1990s was reduced from 44 to 42.
Because the F-35 contract was signed in 2018, Billy cannot drastically cut its entire Fighting Falcon fleet like Norway. Their first two F-35s were supposed to be delivered in 2023, but now it looks like it will be delayed until 2024.
Therefore, the active fleet can be reduced, but Xia Yu estimates that they can reduce it by a maximum of one-third, cutting more than a dozen aircraft to streamline personnel.
He and Jared were competing for those dozen or so slots; after all, who wouldn't want the new batch?
“Mr. Sherlock, Mr. Jared, we are willing to sell F-16 fighter jets. You can choose any of the aircraft in the hangar. However, we can only sell a maximum of 16 of the existing fleet.”
Before the two could talk any longer, a brigadier general in Billy's Air Force announced to them.
If it weren't for the loss of two F-16AMs in 2018, the current fleet would have 18 available for sale. But since the cannon could fire accidentally, this F-16AM must have had some issues. Fortunately, it activated the "self-destruct procedure".
"We need all 16 active-duty aircraft for fire defense."
Xia Yu didn't even ask about the price before speaking first.
"Wait a minute, there's always a first-come, first-served order when buying things. We, Draken International, were here first."
Seeing that the other party had used their financial power, Jared, who was very dissatisfied, began to emphasize the importance of first come, first served.
"Mr. Jared, in order of priority, Firepower Defense is ahead of your company."
"Impossible. I came to Billy right after leaving Norwegian. You couldn't have been here before me."
Jared quickly said.
He's been waiting in Brussels for almost a week, while the other person just arrived today.
"Does queuing require someone to be present? You haven't even left Norwegian air force yet, and I've already contacted Billy Shih. I've also been busy with another business deal in Tournai these past two days. If you don't believe me, you can ask Brigadier General Corinne."
Upon hearing Xia Yu's words, Jared's heart skipped a beat.
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