For example, Xia Yu had been talking about a military transport helicopter—the Chinook CH-47—for almost half a year.
It has no tail rotor weakness and can hover and land on cliffs and rooftops. Not to mention its cargo hold of 9.2m x 2.51m x 1.98m, which is nearly 20 cubic meters larger than the Super Frelon, enough to fit two F-470 combat rubber assault boats in one go.
There's no way to fit the SOC-R inland waterway combat vessel. Only the cargo hold of a turboprop transport aircraft can accommodate it, but with a full-load displacement of less than 10 tons, it can be simply lifted and flown.
To further develop the Philippine market, Jihuo Defense really needs a Chinook, so Xia Yu has also tried to contact Europe and the Middle East.
And guess what? The other party said they did have some, but it was a CH-47D that wasn't even 50% new. They dared to ask for $20 million? I'm not kidding!
In business, harmony brings wealth, but we're not some sucker. This quality of Chinook is worth at most a few million. If you ask for a higher price, Xia Yu won't hesitate.
With the Americans right in front of us, instead of taking the opportunity to get a decent one, are we really going to go and pick up those old, secondhand export models?
Of course, the old man wasn't exactly a philanthropist; a couple of years ago, he sold 14 old (45-year-old) CH-47Ds to the South Koreans.
Excluding consumable parts such as avionics and engines, as well as other expenses, the average price is less than 5 million per aircraft.
Xia Yu was tempted by the price, but the Korean scavenger only realized after getting his hands on them that these old Chinooks, which were older than the pilots, had at most two or three hundred hours of flight life left each.
The cost of the overhaul and upgrade is more expensive than buying a new CH-47F; that's how shrewd they are at business.
Because it needs to be publicly displayed, the first Chinook aircraft used by Jihuo Defense cannot be too old.
With the first aircraft providing cover, Xia Yu could then freely turn waste into treasure if he acquired a second and third.
"I think a newer CH-47D would be a more reasonable price."
Super Hornet landed on the open ground of the base. Watching the four battered green berets being helped off the cargo hold, Xia Yu finally told Joseph his target price.
According to the US military's casualty compensation standards, the one-time compensation for death in a theater of operations is $100,000, the military group life insurance is $400,000, and there are also survivor benefits, support payments and compensation, and money from social security. The compensation for the death of a soldier is about $1 million.
A small squad of 12 Green Shells, 1 escaped, 4 were rescued, meaning 7 died. The initial compensation would be 7 million, while the concentrated fire defense that rescued 4 Green Shells would only seem to receive 4 million.
That's not how you calculate it. Face is more important than money most of the time, especially for an army or a country.
In a situation that was already quite embarrassing, the US Army managed to save some face by giving credit to the other side for the rescue, making it seem to the outside world that they were the ones who rescued the person.
These all come at a premium, but after all these years of wealth, they can afford the bills.
If Xia Yu chooses cash, 20 million is a reasonable figure. It should also be noted that this price does not include the $5 million bounty for Belmukhtar.
The Americans still don't know who they just attacked; they can only be sure that it was some unknown extremist organization.
Therefore, Xia Yu planned to make another profit off the Chinooks after he got his hands on them.
The situation is the same for the Germans. It's just that the firepower at the new camp is a bit weak, so it's uncertain whether Hamadun is dead or not. However, since Masina has been severely wounded, he can request to settle his payment in advance.
Xia Yu also doesn't want money from the Americans. He already has what he wants and will make an offer when he gets back. He wants to settle the bill with the Americans first.
Forget about the latest CH-47F; they won't sell it to you even if you pay extra. You might have a chance with the newer CH-47D, and once you get it, you can modify it yourself.
"Your company already has the Super Hornets, why do you still need Chinook?"
Joseph asked in surprise.
Are PMC companies really that powerful now? They're buying armed helicopters and transport helicopters one after another. Their domestic military contractors, even the more extravagant ones, only use Black Hawk helicopters.
Although the operating costs of the Chinook are very low, maintenance and repairs are quite troublesome.
Coincidentally, Xia Yu is least afraid of trouble.
“This can only transport people, but my business also needs to deliver other things, and only the Chinook can meet these requirements.”
There was nothing to hide, he explained to Joseph.
The Super Hornet is an old platform after all, and its 1.83-meter cargo hold width is far from ideal; it can't even fit a cat cart. No wonder there's a need to develop a dedicated wide-body version in China.
"That's right. The Germans can't build transport helicopters that wide. Apart from the Japanese Mi-26, the only other option is our Chinook."
Joseph was unaware that newcomers would soon be joining the team, but it must be said that the Mi-26 was indeed a monster.
Xia Yu would like to collect one if given the chance, but since it's being incorporated into the company's operations, let's forget about it!
It's too conspicuous, and it's useless for concentrated fire defense. With a lifting capacity of 20 tons, it can't lift any heavy infantry fighting vehicles or tanks.
There's no need to deploy 80 to 90 soldiers at once; it's more flexible and mobile to use two Chinooks to deploy them to different locations on the battlefield.
"To be honest, without this hostage rescue operation, even if you and the military had accumulated 20 million in contract payments, you still wouldn't have been able to get a Chinook. But now I think there's an 80% chance that the higher-ups will agree."
Returning to the topic, Joseph spoke solemnly.
The preconditions are very important. Prior to this, Focusfire Defense and the US military were not even in a cooperative relationship, and even if they were, there was no special relationship between them.
But the situation is different now. The Americans owe us for our collective defense, and the Americans are watching from the sidelines. Being too stingy will damage our image.
An 80% new CH-47D is stuck at the internal price of $20 million, but if it were released to the public, it would be worth $30 million.
So getting equipment without paying money is the most cost-effective deal. You can cut off the premium and get it at the price others would pay for themselves.
Once you get past this point, you can forget about it at any other time.
If the client is replaced by black guys like Afica, then it's like using the mine as cash. The mine might still be in the hands of some warlord or armed group, and you'll have to take it back yourself.
The situation was the same with Xia Yu's uranium mine. By the time he returned from China, his equipment and personnel were almost all there.
I'll go take a look then and see if it can be officially developed.
"Captain, I feel much more at ease knowing that you say so. Good equipment equals combat power, and combat power is the guarantee for PMC's continuous stream of orders."
"So rather than chasing profits, I prefer to invest in equipment to better serve our clients."
After becoming a boss, Xia Yu's words became quite sophisticated and well-structured.
He's converting new customers into repeat customers. With the large investments made by the French recently, armed factions and extremist groups near Oga have quieted down considerably.
Aside from the consistently high orders for fruit bat aircraft crews, most of the contracts they receive are for combat zone patrols.
This is also why Xia Yu accepted the "open" order to attack the Masina Liberation Front.
There are still almost two months left, and he doesn't want to go home for the Chinese New Year so early. He wants to earn another 30 to 50 million!
Although he is the boss, Xia Yu's heart is the same as that of an employee.
"Company culture determines the height of an enterprise. I finally understand why Jihuo Defense has such strong combat capabilities."
Joseph wholeheartedly agreed. Why were they beaten so badly? Was it because Green Bay wasn't strong enough?
No, it's because they're fighting an asymmetrical war. They only have damn SUVs and pickup trucks, not even a 60mm mortar. Facing an enemy with guns and cannons, and still having to ambush them, how can they possibly fight?
It was the Army and Congress that were unwilling to provide funds and equipment, which led to today's tragedy.
If they had been given an Apache helicopter, no, a Cobra, and air support had been deployed immediately, none of them would have lost seven lives.
"I will give a detailed report on these matters to my superiors."
Finally, Joseph added one more thing.
It means speaking well of the concentrated fire defense, which is only right. If the other side's operation fails, he may have to take off his clothes and face legal trouble.
But now that he has successfully rescued four people and dealt a heavy blow to the culprit, Joseph feels that the worst he can get is a reprimand.
All of this was caused by the concentrated fire defense, and he had to speak up for the other side both morally and logically.
That's what happens when you're strong—you can conquer everything. If you're not strong enough, no amount of money or connections will help.
Xia Yu was deeply impressed by the Americans and believed there would definitely be more contracts to come.
After all, the extremist group in Niger had opened their eyes with an ambush, so it wouldn't be right not to wipe them out.
The budget specially approved by the Afica war zone eventually ended up in Xia Yu's hands.
They can do it themselves, but once the hostages are rescued, the equipment transfer will slow down.
Without equipment, Green Shell's daytime performance is its maximum, given the soldiers' combat capabilities.
There can be no more casualties, so outsourcing became the only option.
Most of the PMC companies with US ties are based in the Middle East. Even if they could come temporarily, it wouldn't be as effective as using a concentrated fire defense force that has already demonstrated its capabilities.
"How's it going? Is the tank full?"
After parting ways with Joseph, Xia Yu returned to the two helicopters.
This drone forward base only deployed two MQ-9s, but the turboprop engines also used aviation fuel, so the company's one Soviet-made and one French-made helicopter both got to experience the American JP-8.
"Fully charged, ready to take off at any time."
"Then let's retreat."
Upon learning that they were returning to Oga, the two pilots immediately climbed into the cargo hold of the Super Frelon.
It was a long day, but thankfully they're all still alive.
After takeoff, Xia Yu felt it wasn't bad. The Americans are good at handling fuel. The refined aviation kerosene is this kind of JP-8. I heard that the gas turbine of the M1A2 also uses this fuel, but they probably won't deploy main battle tanks to Afica.
As for the crispy M2/M3 Bradley and the Stryker 8-wheeler, they certainly wouldn't come here.
Xia Yu estimated that at most, they would equip themselves with some mine-resistant ambush protected vehicles; ground forces were not the main focus, but they might be able to send more helicopters.
For example, the classic combination of Bird and Black Hawk, or Apache and Cobra—forget about it, that's too exciting for Chinese people.
Old Mei wanted to take over, but he also had to consider the attitude of the Chinese people. Otherwise, why would this base only have two drones?
With so many armed helicopters, if they had just brought over a few, none of this would have happened.
Unfortunately, that won't work. Military affairs must serve politics. As a soldier, Johnny couldn't see that, which is why he made comments like "the United States is so poor."
Attack helicopters and fixed-wing fighter jets cannot be deployed, and drones are only being used in a way that skirts the rules.
Seven Green Shells died this time, so they sent out transport birds and black hawks so that the people from the country would have no objections.
Otherwise, you should just sit here and wait for Jifu Ti!
You can station troops there as long as you pay them; there's practically no trouble at all.
However, even with all its defenses removed, the Black Hawk's tail rotor remains vulnerable, making it dangerous in Afika, where portable anti-aircraft missiles are becoming increasingly prevalent.
Firefighting teams aren't afraid of danger, but sometimes we really can't be reckless. It's much better to spend some money to outsource the work.
"Boss, look! There are several donkey carts ahead!"
"Hans in the gunner's compartment suddenly said."
He was still excited and not tired at all. He was using the thermal imaging to pass the time when he unexpectedly discovered a caravan of donkey carts.
"Wait, where did this donkey cart team come from at this hour? There's definitely something wrong with them."
Xia Yu realized something was wrong, and this direction was exactly between the two base camps.
"Calling Shrew, this is Weasel. Ask those two if the base has raised a certain number of donkeys at the new camp."
He immediately contacted Lyman to verify this with the two traitors.
To learn about Afika, Xia Yu watched many related documentaries. There are camel caravans and donkey carts traveling long distances in the desert, but there can't be such a coincidence!
"They said there are, about 10 donkeys left behind by the Por people."
Lyman's words put Xia Yu at ease. It was true; the other side must be the remnants of the troops who had retreated from the new camp.
Domi and Old Ke had destroyed all of the enemy's motor vehicles, leaving them with no choice but to retreat by donkey cart.
Unfortunately, he was out of luck and ran into Xia Yu on his way back after only walking a dozen kilometers.
As for what was loaded on the donkey cart, it was nothing more than weapons and valuables.
So these guys are good people; they don't need to go to the new camp to search for loot tomorrow, all the good stuff is in the car.
There might even be something more valuable, such as the person surnamed Ha whom the Chinese people dream of getting rid of.
Xia Yu thought that the fact that he could gain Belmukhtar's favor and deliberately refuse to take responsibility for the VBCI tank attack meant that he must be a smart person.
He didn't die in the hostage rescue operation, so he definitely won't go to the town to cause trouble; he'll just run away as fast as he can.
"Splash splash"
Seeing the approaching Mi-24V and Hamadun with his head wrapped in bandages, my heart sank instantly.
He thought he could use the remaining wealth of the Al-Qaeda faction to lead the remnants of Masina's army to find a place to start over and grow stronger, but the enemy just wouldn't leave him alone.
Actually, the two helicopters were just for show. Apart from the flares that could be used to set off fireworks, all their ammunition was used up, but the combat personnel on board the helicopters still had more than half a load of ammunition left.
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