"Garmin has already upgraded four of our F-5s with the G3000 integrated flight system so that we can begin combat training after Christmas, and all Tiger II fighters will be upgraded to this standard in the next three years."
Thompson began to introduce himself.
Garmin's G3000 is basically an all-in-one machine with a large, high-resolution screen that can be directly connected to the F-5's original mission computer.
As an off-the-shelf product, it can perform many functions such as map drawing, tactical radio, and radar display. In addition to Tacair using this system, the Tiger II of the old US Navy's own adversary squadron also uses this solution.
Therefore, Thompson went straight to the point and established a strategic partnership with Garmin.
Upgrading avionics is important for fighter jets that act as adversaries, especially when the performance of the flight platform is inferior to that of the training aircraft.
"We have also upgraded all pilots with Scorpion full-color helmet displays (HMDs), but it is tentatively planned that only 6 top-of-the-line F-5AT aircraft will be upgraded with the Nemesis radar."
This Duotech-designed specialized radar, used specifically for air-to-air exercises, is more expensive than the aircraft itself. But what can you do when the opponent's ATAC's F-16AM has the AN/APG-66?
If you don't keep up with the upgrades, don't even think about getting the contract. In a situation where everyone has connections, you can't avoid getting involved.
"Later, we need to install data link antennas on these platforms, and the adversarial data integration software running on the G3000 also needs to be specially developed. We have only received the test version so far."
This is the third-party hypothetical enemy business. The bosses each used their own methods to integrate resources with a budget far lower than that of the military's self-developed solutions, and came up with a reasonably good one.
Who can blame them when even landlords have no surplus grain these days?
The US military's defense budget appears to be increasing every year, but the purchasing power of the dollar is getting worse and worse. Rebuilding the previously disbanded adversary squadrons would definitely lead to overspending, and they can only make a living by outsourcing.
The two chatted for an entire afternoon, with Thompson revealing many industry secrets like beans spilling out.
This gave Xia Yu a preliminary impression of the hypothetical enemy's business, so that he wouldn't be completely ignorant when he entered this field in the future.
After their conversation, they invited Thompson back to the Fisher for a drink, and that concluded their day's itinerary.
As the desert cooled down at night, Xia Yu watched his GAU-8 cannons being taken out of the warehouse and packed into boxes one by one the next morning. He then called Lieutenant Colonel Davis, who was in charge of the F-14D project.
"One of the F-14Ds had an engine problem halfway through maintenance, so we replaced it with two F110-GE-400 engines that were salvaged from a destroyed F-14B."
Davis reported on the preparation progress of the three F-14Ds over the phone.
The naval version of the F110 is longer than the F-16C/D Block 30/40, and has a larger afterburner, making it more powerful.
However, its performance should be slightly inferior to the F110 of the Ultimate Phantom. When the two optimized engines are removed and installed on the F-14D, its performance will definitely be improved to a certain extent.
The idea is that if you want supersonic cruise, you can upgrade the F-14D to the Super Tomcat 21 standard without changing the engine; that's impossible.
"Lieutenant Colonel, according to our contract, each F-14D also has two spare parts for the F110-GE-400."
Xia Yu confirmed with the other party again.
Operating a Tomcat fighter jet involves a lot of ground crew work due to the variable-sweep wings. The Navy version of the F110 was also produced in small numbers. Even though 82% of the parts are interchangeable with the Air Force version, 18% of the parts are missing and cannot be repaired.
Even though he loves mixing and matching, he doesn't want to follow Yi Lang's example and replace the old TF-30 with the Soviet-made AL-31F, so the spare engines on the surface still need to be purchased together.
"Yes, apart from the F-14A's engines and airframe being destroyed, we have preserved the engines of the F-14B and F-14D, along with six spare engines and three airworthy aircraft. We will definitely be able to complete the delivery before Christmas."
Davis also gave assurances over the phone.
"Okay, I'll be waiting for your Christmas present."
After saying that, Xia Yu hung up the phone.
The last batch of Big Cats retired from active service 12 years ago. The number of pilots who can fly this model and meet museum standards is in the hundreds.
The recruitment work can be carried out over the next two months. More important are senior technical sergeants with full experience in F-14D support. He has asked Davis to handle the selection of such candidates, and he believes good news will come soon.
"Mr. Sherlock, here is the information you requested."
After all the used guns were packed and loaded into the car, Thompson handed him a portable hard drive.
This contains information about the two-seater A-10B.
Of course, Old Tang, who believes in the principle that cooperation leads to win-win results, directly increased the quantity without raising the price this time, and also included the design drawings of the YA-10BN/AW, which is based on the A-10B and is a night/all-weather version.
However, in reality, apart from the prototype, both of the Warthog models were scrapped by Congress. After all, the A-10 was just an attack aircraft and did not require instructors to stay in the back seat until it was allowed to fly solo.
It's easy for selected flight trainees, but too difficult for over 99% of the wealthy. Only two-seater aircraft can give them peace of mind when flying.
"Thank you so much. With an existing pipeline design, we can modify at least two all-weather A-10Bs."
Xia Yu expressed his gratitude.
Before Operation Desert Storm, none of the old Warthogs had the capability to launch night attacks, and the 6+2 A-10s purchased by Jihuo Defense were all older models.
Since I'm going to modify it anyway, I'll definitely choose the cheaper model. After all, the A-10C, which was upgraded after 2005, is not sold to the public as the current service model!
The few available models are minor modifications from the 90s. Their technology has a retro aesthetic by today's standards. It would be better to upgrade them directly to the red Warthog when modifying them into two-seaters.
Yes, red warthogs.
After Xia Yujin's batch of A-10s are modified, they will operate in the Afica region. Although they belong to the Cold War branch of the Afica War Museum, they will also be available for "external" rental when there is no business.
Upgrading its avionics to transform it into an all-weather attack aircraft is therefore necessary. He originally wanted to use the Su-25's avionics directly, but the problem is that its GSh-30-2 twin 30mm cannons are too weak.
With only 250 rounds of ammunition, the same number of rounds a fighter jet uses for self-defense, it would be better to just use an attack helicopter. But the appearance of the A-10 has Xia Yu itching to get one.
Why should the third ground-attack aircraft for concentrated fire defense be limited to attack helicopters?
Wouldn't it be better if he drove his red warthog and licked everything along the way?
Developing a dedicated A-10 would be a huge undertaking, but for museum operations, a temporary loan would be a win-win situation, killing two birds with one stone…
As for the threat posed by portable anti-aircraft missiles to attack aircraft, with the Red Cheetahs providing protection, the Warthog can fly freely in the sky without fear of being shot down.
It involves air-ground coordinated operations. Either employees wear gas masks, or the armor-piercing bodies of some depleted uranium munitions are replaced with tungsten alloy ones to prevent friendly personnel from inhaling depleted uranium and causing internal radiation.
Sigh, I guess I'll stick with tungsten alloy!
Let customers have their fill with depleted uranium munitions; there are just too many uncontrollable factors on the battlefield, so there's no need to be too stubborn.
"Then there's the Boeing issue. The price is negotiable, and we hope Mr. Thompson will pay close attention to it."
He turned around and handed the hard drive to his wife. Then, turning back, Xia Yu spoke to Old Tang again.
He was referring to information about McDonnell Douglas's "Ultimate Phantom" project, the most important of which is its variable-sweep wing technology.
It wasn't that our hometown didn't invest resources in variable-sweep wing technology when it was all the rage; we have both genuine MiG-23s and F-111s in our possession, along with wreckage. The goal was to replace our fifth and sixth uncles by developing a single-seat, single-engine supersonic attack aircraft with variable-sweep wings, fly-by-wire flight control, and domestically produced engines.
As it turned out, there was absolutely no technological accumulation. The developed variable-sweep wing mechanism was 12% overweight, and along with other problems, the project ultimately failed.
The project was also shelved in my hometown, and the development path of variable-sweep wings was cut off.
With mature technology to reference, it's perfectly logical to practice on old projects that you still feel unsatisfied with first, and then replicate the Ultimate Ghost platform.
"I will try my best, but there is probably no hope this year. Maybe next year or the year after! Next year or the year after, I will definitely help Mr. Sherlock fulfill his wish."
Thompson promised.
The variable-sweep wing technology is outdated and there is no issue of leaks, not to mention that McDonnell Douglas has been acquired by Boeing. They can make money from it, but it's a bit troublesome.
However, as Tacair develops into its second phase, it will inevitably need to purchase a batch of F-18 Hornets, and will still have to deal with Boeing.
Thompson decided to push both things forward at the same time, killing two birds with one stone.
"Next year or the year after is fine, then I'll have to trouble Mr. Thompson."
Two years isn't a long time. By then, Xia Yu will have more funds and can officially launch the project.
“Making money is not difficult, but there is another thing that Mr. Sherlock mentioned to me before that I think is also very promising.”
In just a few years, Thompson evolved from a professional soldier into a quintessential businessman.
"Oh, you mean the sale of private fighter jets?"
Xia Yu also became interested. He had always wanted to sell fighter jets and had previously sought cooperation with Hamish, but as an Englishman, he couldn't handle the world's largest private fighter jet market—America.
While civilian business jets are not subject to regulations, when it comes to military fighter jets, only domestic companies in the US have the qualifications to import and sell them.
Tacair obtained the relevant qualifications when it was founded, so when Xia Yu and Thompson expressed their willingness to cooperate last time, the focus was on this batch of A-10s.
Only after Xia Yu personally came to the United States today were they able to delve into this topic.
"It's about selling private fighter jets. I know many wealthy people who are interested in this, but they only want to enjoy the one or two hours after takeoff. They prefer the long maintenance time, like a mobile phone that can be reset to factory settings with one click."
Thompson and Xia Yu were joking, but it wasn't really a joke to him.
System maintenance for zombie aircraft only takes a few dozen man-hours, while it only takes a few minutes to refurbish a fighter jet that has just finished flying.
“Building a museum like Paul did doesn’t seem to be their passion, the military doesn’t care, and hiring a small team themselves is too much trouble. With so many factors combined, they realized that outsourcing logistics support was a good option, and we PMC companies, which are spread all over the world, are the best 4S stores.”
Thompson continued gesturing as he spoke.
"Therefore, we cooperate."
"Yes, especially for American aircraft. Tacair has no support capability for Soviet or other countries' fighter jets."
Old Tang said honestly.
Their company's fighter jet logistics support system is built around domestically produced aircraft. It's not that foreign goods can't be supported, but the process is too cumbersome, and there's no need to go to such lengths for the side business.
Xia Yu wasn't afraid of complicated procedures, and FHC happened to have the support capabilities of Soviet-made aircraft, capable of handling both MiG-29s and Su-27s.
As for American-made aircraft, the US is definitely more professional, so why not give up this piece of the pie?
"Then let FHC come. We can guarantee private fighter jets on the West Coast."
The East Coast is too far away; a round trip would render the maintenance unnecessary. Traveling overland across the United States would be more damaging to the aircraft than flying it, so FHC's operating area can only be limited to the vicinity of the West Coast.
However, in this country where money talks, it's not uncommon for East Coast customers to be willing to pay $1 million or more for a round-trip An-124 flight to get their beloved aircraft serviced.
Even taking into account the Libya plane that has been grounded for several years, the Firepower Air Transport Company, which owns three Ruslan planes, has the capability to open a branch office in the United States.
Europe and Central Asia are the home turf of Russia and Russia. Apart from Afica and his hometown business, Xia Yu can only expand his special air transport business to North America.
It's because the US military doesn't allow the sale of the C-5 Galaxy to the public; only Soviet-made aircraft can compete in this field.
"Among those I know who have expressed interest in purchasing them are the F-4, F-5, and F-16."
Thompson continued.
The wealthy don't fly much, so they don't care about the mileage of these fighter jets, as long as they can buy a two-seater model.
“There are also some for sale on the market, but the prices are generally too high, and avionics and other components cannot be customized, which greatly affects their willingness to buy.”
"Yes, I know that. I was disgusted by a second-hand Fighting Falcon a couple of years ago. The other party actually dared to ask for 8.5 million."
Xia Yu chimed in with his own complaints.
A de-weaponized, third-hand F-16 is not worth that much money at all. Selling it for six or seven million would yield a shockingly high profit. That company really thinks scarcity drives up the price.
Now that Xia Yu has come to the United States, we don't care about other models, we must bring down the price of the Fighting Falcon so that "ordinary people" can afford to fly third-generation fighters.
"Then you'll be in charge of sourcing and preparation, and I'll handle registration and sales logistics, just like we agreed before."
"That's how it works, we'll each take 50% of the profits."
Xia Yu made the assignments on the spot.
His profits account for 50% on the surface, but the real bulk comes from the savings on procurement and preparation costs.
The actual profit margin per unit is higher than that of modified target drones, and non-US aircraft also have logistics support services that can generate continuous profits, which is quite good.
"This is a very reasonable number. It's a pleasure working with you!"
Thompson smiled and extended his right hand.
He was very satisfied with Xia Yu's distribution method and felt that the other party was genuinely cooperating. However, little did Lao Tang know that the profit he was eyeing was just a bonus in Boss Xia's eyes, so he naturally didn't care much about it.
"It's a pleasure doing business with you!"
The two men clasped hands, symbolizing a strategic partnership in the sale of used fighter jets.
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