"That completely changed the image of the doe as a big, clumsy, and rough creature."
Andrei remarked with emotion.
He had never eaten fine bran, but he had seen pigs run and knew the accuracy of those expensive attack helicopters from Europe and America.
Soviet attack helicopters, even the later Alligator and Havoc, all felt a bit rough around the edges.
This is due to the gap in manufacturing processes and avionics; cost is only one factor.
On the other hand, Russians may not be naturally suited for skillful work, but after being modified by a certain major country, the doe, this old master craftsman, was given a second life.
"This Longbow Crossbow wasn't compatible with the HOT-3 and Mistral missiles. It's one of the few pieces of equipment that the Americans don't supply with ammunition. We can take advantage of this to make a little more profit."
Xia Yu and Andrei talked about ammunition, and then remembered the shipment they had sent earlier.
"By the way, did you receive the container of helicopter ammunition and spare parts that was sent along with the supplies?"
"I received it three days ago. I could tell it was a new attack helicopter just by looking at how it didn't fit the Mi-24V."
During the period when Xia Yu withdrew from the third phase of the project, Andrei continued to drive the old Deer Tiger to protect the ground armored forces, and the consumption of ammunition was still considerable.
Compared to the salvo of unguided rockets, the Longbow Crossbow, which uses guided rockets, can eliminate a target with a single shot, and its unit price has risen to 30,000 euros.
The price seems higher than the HOT-3, but only missiles nearing the end of their production run and being cleared out of inventory are that cheap. Other newly manufactured anti-tank missiles cost tens of thousands, even hundreds of thousands of yuan.
As for guided rockets with seekers, the APKWS used by the US military costs 30,000 yuan per round, while the export price is doubled to 60,000 yuan.
The Chinese-developed Aculeustda missile won't be operational until next year, and it might cost more than 30,000 euros. In contrast, Jihuo Defense's missiles come with a launch package for only 30,000 euros, so they got a great deal.
However, if you can't afford the 90mm guided rocket with a seeker, Xia Yu also has the 70mm pointed rocket with a simple inertial navigation system as a substitute.
This one costs only $8,000 per shot, and its range is only slightly longer than the HOT-3, about 5 kilometers.
It's good for clearing out small cars, but for accuracy, it's better to shoot two at a time.
"Leave this container, but take all the conventional ammunition. This trip won't be easy for us."
Xia Yu instructed Andrei.
The Germans provided HOT-3 and Mistral rockets, but they could still afford the S-8 rockets, which cost a thousand or two thousand euros, so they had no incentive to specifically purchase a batch of Soviet-made unguided rockets to save money.
"You need to get to know the Siberian Wren and the Flying Squirrel better, because you'll be working together more often than I will in the future."
Xia Yu needed to find work in various places and handle both buying and selling goods, so he couldn't stay on the front lines like he had in the beginning.
Whether it's a dual-attack helicopter sortie or an armed transport escort, the helicopter captains will have to deal with many different situations, so maintaining good relationships is essential.
"Yes, boss!"
As he spoke, Andrei took the initiative to go over to Lao Han and his group, and greeted them in Chinese, which he had learned from his daughter.
After the little girl's condition was brought under control, she was transferred directly to the local primary school.
Her father even spent over $1 million to buy a small two-bedroom apartment near the hospital and school, so Andrei and the two captains, both of whom have children, had quite a bit to talk about regarding domestic topics.
Two hours later, all the cargo was loaded and the convoy left the airport first. The Chinook and the Longbow Cross, which had been refueled, took off in turn and arrived at the company's temporary camp first.
…………
"That's the situation. Our main target in this Sahel deployment is no longer extremist groups, but rather separatist armed groups that have been redefined."
In the conference room, Xia Yu introduced the situation to the department and grassroots commanders.
"The Tuareg tribe, which formed the Azawad Coordination Movement, had been sending large numbers of people to Libya as mercenaries since the Gaddafi era. Their above-average military training, coupled with their own bravery and skill in battle, as well as the weapons and equipment they acquired with the tacit approval of the French, have created the current rather thorny situation."
"Our company only has two Hail rocket launchers, while they have double-digit numbers of BM-21s and four known Hind helicopters. The government forces were routed, and the French suffered the consequences of their past actions. This is why Concentrated Fire Defense has come to the Sahel region again."
Or perhaps the last time the Tuareg were deployed, they didn't suffer any losses; instead, they survived and learned a lot of experience, figuring out how to counter decapitation strikes and tracking.
They can quickly break up the operation after it ends, and by the time the German drones take off and arrive in the airspace, they won't be able to track down any useful information.
"So boss, the first step is to find them."
Hans spoke from below.
"That's true, but I don't have high hopes for it. There are a total of 5 million Tuareg people in several countries, and we can't possibly eliminate all the tens of thousands of villages in the desert one by one."
Most of these 5 million people are honest herders and farmers. Less than 1% of them actually take up arms and join the Azawad Coordination Movement, but the number of people supporting them and providing various forms of assistance is probably at least 10% from the start.
Shooting militants is fine, but accidentally injuring these "deceived" ordinary Tuareg people could trigger a humanitarian crisis.
"So we will cooperate with the French and the government forces to take the important town of Kedar first, and then build a passage from the northeast to the southwest to Tinkbattu."
Xia Yu then formally discussed his battle plan.
The area around Kydar-Oga-Tinkbatu on the map is an isosceles triangle, but this time they will not enter the complex Oga region, focusing instead on dealing with the Azawad Coordination Movement.
To ensure the smooth execution of this operation, the Malaysians will concentrate 70% of this year's funding for Operation Barkhane.
This can be considered a gamble, because without additional domestic funding, they will not be able to launch any significant strikes in the second half of the year, and at best, they can only maintain the status quo.
It seems that the Germans are completely mired in the war, but Xia Yu's understanding of this is that in order to maintain their interests in the Sahel region, they have turned Operation Barkhane into an annual Operation Serval.
Yes, they spend over a billion euros each year, spending most of their time resting and patrolling, and then concentrating resources on a swift and decisive crackdown to maintain stability into the following year.
Therefore, the Koreans are not here to solve problems; they only want to maintain the status quo with minimal cost.
A chaotic Sahel region is in their interest. A one-time investment of tens of billions to completely eliminate all extremist groups and separatist armed groups would leave them with no reason to keep their troops stationed there.
How can the unreasonable profits of local French companies be guaranteed?
However, there is a limit to how much you can nurture a bandit. If it happens too often, it's easy to go too far. Xia Yu knew that they couldn't stay like this for long. Even if Blackie was slow to realize things, he would eventually come to his senses.
Prior to this, the firefighting efforts could only do their best to combat these unstable factors in the Sahel region, bringing temporary stability to the local population.
When they'll realize their mistake is up to them. Xia Yu can only guarantee that after the Germans leave, the defenses will concentrate their firepower...
The firepower is undeniably strong, but the problem is that the sheer size is a bit lacking, and we can't carry the team with our incompetent teammates.
After several collaborations, he gained a certain understanding of the military strength of the government forces of several countries in the Sahel region; they didn't even have the elite guards of Nirilya.
Without improving compensation, selecting talent, and rebuilding, there is no way to enhance combat effectiveness.
This pie can't be taken by the defense alone. After much thought, we still have to bring in Gna. Old Yev has thousands of retired non-commissioned officers and hundreds of mid- to high-ranking officers, which gives him the strength to rebuild the army.
Unlike them, who can only train a few companies or a battalion, during large-scale mopping-up operations, such a small number of people are simply not enough to assist them.
A few thousand or even tens of thousands of troops would be more like it. After training this elite force well, Xia Yu is confident that he can bring the security level of Mali to that of the coastal areas of Guo within a few years.
Of course, it wasn't just about eliminating militants.
Even if all targets are eliminated without exception, civilians who cannot survive will still pick up guns again if the problem of poverty is not solved.
Letting them legally earn a salary sufficient to support their families and live a stable life—only the most extreme people would commit arson, murder, robbery, and all sorts of evil deeds.
Collaborate on the development of local oil and mineral resources, the construction of distinctive tourism projects, and the improvement of agricultural production techniques…
Only by simultaneously advancing these development projects can we increase the per capita GDP from a few hundred yuan to over 1,000 yuan, ensuring that ordinary people have enough to eat.
"The convoy set off yesterday. Tomorrow, I will join the advance team, consisting of the glider crew, the mole car crew, the number 4 group, and the honey badger, and we will enter Mari via Niger."
Her thoughts returned to Xia Yu, who then formally announced the work assignments.
"The remaining members will work with the new recruits to continue eliminating the remnants of Boko Holy Land. See you in Mari after the 15th!"
"Yes, boss!"
The crowd responded in unison.
Domi was the happiest of all, because he could fight alongside his husband again.
Xia Yu was also happy to return to the ground from the sky, after all, he was still a tank soldier at heart.
After packing their simple luggage, they prepared to set off early the next morning.
"Splash splash"
Old Deer Tiger and Chinook took off one after the other, flying in formation towards Niger.
There are still large areas of forest within the Niriyya region, but once you enter the neighboring country, there is only low-lying vegetation. Large tracts of green can only be seen along the Niriyya River and in scattered oases in the desert.
The aircraft entered the Marri side through the Azawaq River Valley, which marks the border between the two countries. The transport convoy landed at a border base of Marri government officers before the aircraft could reach it.
Yes, Kidar has been lost for several years, but this military base, located hundreds of kilometers away, is still in the hands of the government forces, and daily supplies are delivered from Niger.
"Welcome, I am Lieutenant Walu!"
The base manager greeted Xia Yu, who had taken off his sunglasses and was looking around.
"Hello Lieutenant Valu, I am Sherlock, the boss of Focus Fire Defense."
After shaking hands with the other party, he noticed that the base walls were riddled with bullet holes and blast marks, and the marks looked quite fresh.
"So it's Mr. Sherlock. You must be very curious about these traces. We were attacked by the Tuareg the night before last. They fired a salvo from 107mm rocket launchers."
"Valu introduced himself."
"Lieutenant, how serious are the casualties?"
"Three people died and one was wounded. Only a third of the rockets hit the yard. We are quite far from Kidal, so the attackers were clearly not their elites."
The same weapon can have different effects depending on who uses it, and the Tuareg people were clearly using this military base for practice.
The 122mm rockets from Hailstorm are much more expensive than the 107mm ones. Having new recruits use cheaper rockets to bully government bases that have no ability to resist is a very cost-effective training program.
With the arrival of the concentrated fire defense forces at this base, Xia Yu, who wanted a good night's sleep, would not allow them to continue their reckless behavior.
"Has news of our move into the base been leaked?"
"It must have been leaked; the movements of those two helicopters couldn't have been kept secret."
Walu spoke frankly, drawing on his own experience.
There are several Tureg villages around the base, and destroying two helicopters would be a considerable temptation for them.
Even if there are no BM-21s in this direction, firing a salvo from a few 107mm multiple rocket launchers would be the same.
"That's great! Let's just wait patiently for them to come to us!"
Xia Yu decided to adopt a wait-and-see approach, since he was the best bait.
That night, the members of the Jihuo Defense Vanguard Team settled down in peace. Only Valu and his 100 or so wounded men were completely unaware of what this PMC company was up to.
"Do it, why not do it? And we need to hurry, we can't let those two helicopters get away."
The head of Azawad's subordinate branch made a decisive decision to launch a night raid to catch the enemy off guard.
A total of four 107mm multiple rocket launchers were concentrated together, and four armed pickup trucks were to rush into the government army base after the shelling to expand the results.
From initially being able to kill or injure more than a dozen enemy soldiers with each sneak attack, to now wasting more than a dozen rockets to cause less than five casualties, their artillery crew's skills haven't improved much, while the Valuna gang's ability to dodge artillery fire has increased dramatically.
However, this time, with four times the firepower and the assistance of armed convoys, they will completely eliminate this thorn in the side of the government forces on the border.
At one or two o'clock in the morning, when the night was darkest, ten pickup trucks drove out from various villages, forming a convoy that silently headed towards the border.
However, this scene was also clearly captured by the CH-4 drones roaming in the sky. Because of the need for long endurance, the drones were not armed and could not deliver a direct airborne attack.
"Mouse vehicle crew received!"
Benjamin, who was sleeping fully clothed, rushed out of the tent and blew his whistle.
"Shhh"
All the members of the convoy temporarily stationed in the desert were awake.
Guided by the reconnaissance and strike drone, the transport convoy avoided people for the rest of the journey, all for this moment.
"Set off!"
"Buzz"
The KF-41 lynx was started, and the entire crew of Team 4 closed the tail hatch and sped toward the target under the guidance of the drone team.
"We've arrived. Quickly set up the launch site."
Twenty minutes later, the night raid convoy officially separated. The artillery crew stopped 4 kilometers from the base, while the four armed pickup trucks continued forward. But just as they were unloading the four rocket launchers from the pickup trucks...
"Knock knock knock"
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