Old Ha's series of maneuvers stunned everyone, who exclaimed in their hearts, "Wow, that's amazing!"
Of course not. He was only responsible for firing; the aiming and data adjustment were all done by the elite black man who served as the gunner.
Before the trial operation of the third phase of the project, these people underwent intensive training for a long time and gained an in-depth understanding of the twin 128mm and twin 88mm artillery with fixed explosion distances.
As for the Bofors, it is even simpler to control. Sufficient live-fire training allows the gun crew to become familiar with this anti-aircraft gun more quickly, and as long as the target flies low and slow enough, the hit rate under dense barrage is still quite high.
"Attention, B1, C2, C3, and C4 gun positions, the second wave of enemy aircraft is approaching."
"Old Ha's orders are all done, but the rest of the orders aren't," Johnson shouted to them.
Everyone immediately snapped back to reality, squinted their eyes, and focused their attention back on the direction from which the swarm of aircraft had attacked.
The second wave of enemy aircraft consisted of only two Yak-52s, which were flying quite far apart. The twin 88mm gun crew, codenamed B1, was the first to respond.
"shooting!"
A tourist with a typical Germanic appearance, wearing a navy uniform left by his grandfather, pressed the launch button without hesitation.
"Knock knock"
While the super-rich like Hamandan might not be interested, many ordinary tourists still want to have the bullet casings processed into handicrafts so they can easily take them back home.
The American soldiers who fought in World War II, including those who shot down torpedo bombers, dive bombers, and Zero fighters, must feel the same way they do now.
The German customer excitedly jumped out of his gun position.
But Hamandan, who was unable to attend the museum's opening ceremony due to the entire fleet of aircraft taking off and landing, still wanted to see it, since he would be the captain until the end of the week.
Of course, half of that is the cost on paper.
Hand-made shells are not cheap, and artillery barrels also have a lifespan, but in Xia Yu, it only costs material costs plus a little bit of labor.
And just as the three close-in weapon systems had destroyed an average of 40 ammunition feed plates, which is equivalent to firing 160 rounds:
"Boom!"
Since the only target drone available is the MiG-21 Fishpod, he will not participate in tomorrow's "Cold War Storm" project.
Unfinished shells are checked for integrity and counted before being put back into storage, and shells scattered on the ground are also collected by designated personnel.
Standing on the bridge, Xia Yu was in a good mood.
He loaded the shell, closed the breech, and pressed the fire button again, but unfortunately, he still missed.
A large piece of shrapnel successfully struck the wing of the second Yak-52, also damaging its engine. The aircraft then plummeted into the sea amidst black smoke, eventually burning fiercely in the seawater.
"Splash splash"
Xia Yu, the deputy captain, walked down from the bridge and went to the helipad to call his carrier-based pilots.
"emission!"
With just 10 shells, a target drone worth 500,000 yuan was hit. Nothing could be more exciting than that.
"Hello, Mr. Hamish. I've long admired your name. I've only ever seen you, the great explorer, in various interviews and reports. Today, I'm finally meeting you in person."
There's no way around it; caliber determines power. This enhanced 88mm shell, including the casing, the projectile, and the propellant, weighs less than a 128mm shell, and the fragmentation cloud produced by the explosion is several times smaller.
The sound of helicopters came from afar, and at that moment all the artillery crews immediately sprang into action.
Thump thump thump
At that moment, it no longer mattered who hit the enemy plane; what mattered was that they intercepted all the enemy aircraft and perfectly completed their mission.
"Boom boom boom"
Labor costs are quite transparent; he has to maintain as many gun emplacements as there are gun positions. But after deducting all costs, the actual profit is still quite good.
After finishing his battle, Old Ha returned to his captain's cabin and would go back to his Yas ship that evening, but he would come back again tomorrow.
The last target drone was shot down in mid-air, turning into a huge fireball.
Both artillery shells and target drones are good business. Based on Lao Ha's 7 million yuan order, these ordinary consumers also contributed more than 1.5 million yuan in revenue.
Until the third, fourth, and fifth rounds.
Under the impact of the electric current, the 5.12 kg propellant of the two 8.8 cm sprgrpatr high-explosive shells, which were specially designed for the Flak 41, was instantly ignited. The rapidly expanding propellant gases blasted the 9.4 kg projectile out amidst the deafening roar of the cannon.
The explosion in the distant sky produced two plumes of black smoke, but unfortunately, they failed to cover the target.
But the real bulk of the projects are anti-ship and air combat.
"Knock knock"
"Boom boom"
"I got it!"
The good news is that 88mm shells are cheap; a single salvo costs only one-third the price of a 128mm shell, allowing the company to compensate for quality with a numerical advantage.
The muzzle is leveled and fixed, the breechblock is opened, and shells with ammunition are ejected; those without are preliminarily cleared.
The sliding breechblock opens, and to facilitate extraction, a brass material was used during printing. The cartridge case, still carrying lingering gunpowder smoke, is then extracted.
Twelve Bofors 40mm/L60 rapid-fire anti-aircraft guns, with cheaper shells and a more intense barrage, opened fire, simultaneously unleashing a barrage of bullets from different directions that swept towards the Yak-52 that had narrowly escaped the attack.
And so, by the time AS550 successfully landed and Hamish stepped onto the flight deck of the St. Paul, the WWII-era air defense formation was nowhere to be seen.
Tourists on the beach watched through binoculars as at least three to five hundred shells were saturated and fired into the sky.
Compared to the previous single-gun interception that was all bark and no bite, this is now a real downpour.
However, the cost was not just 100,000. He also contributed 160,000 of the 1 million crowdfunding for two target drones, leaving the remaining 5 people to compete for the last target drone.
Because he was interested in the various treasures on the seabed, Xia Yu paid some attention to deep-sea exploration, so he knew the name Hamishhadin, and his words were not exactly flattery.
“Director Sherlock, you flatter me. I’m just an ordinary adventure enthusiast with a little money, full of curiosity about the sky, the ocean, and the polar regions.”
Hamish immediately spoke in Mandarin with a strong Hong Kong accent.
He primarily targets the Asian market, and a significant number of his clients are of Chinese descent or of Chinese descent. To better connect with his clients, he specifically learned Chinese.
Successful people all have some skills, and as an expert in the private jet industry, Xia Yu might also have the opportunity to cooperate with them.
There are too many rules and regulations for private aircraft in the civil aviation category. Even if he can use the system to restore an old aircraft that is about to be scrapped to an airworthy state, he cannot modify those network data.
However, this is not an issue for private fighter jets, as long as they are completely de-weaponized and comply with regulations.
Xia Yu had considered developing this market, but the point-to-point sales model was too cumbersome. He didn't have that much time to follow up with each of those wealthy clients for a long time for the sake of a few million in profit.
By partnering with established sales channels and numerous potential customers, Jihuo Defense can develop this market with low operating costs by acting as a supplier and providing logistical support.
Yes, customers who can spend tens of millions on a Gulfstream don't seem to have much trouble spending a few million more on a MiG-29.
However, the costs of hiring dedicated pilots, maintenance, and upkeep raised their concerns.
What Jihuo Defense needs to do is to dispel the concerns of this group. Pilots can be hired temporarily, and maintenance and upkeep are definitely cheaper than their counterparts in the United States.
Only by reaching this level can more people be allowed to fly fighter jets.
If you don't want to remove the fighter jet's armaments, or if you think the Afica War Museum's projects are too expensive, you can also choose to keep another private fighter jet exclusively for you in Konluga.
If you want to fire a machine gun, fire a machine gun; if you want to fire a rocket, fire a rocket; and if you buy missiles in bulk, they're even cheaper.
Maintaining such a fully-equipped fighter jet, even with all costs included, is cheaper than a museum visit per trip.
Xia Yu may seem to be undermining his own company, but in reality, he is exploring a broader market.
At first, carrier-based catapults were a novelty, but over the course of ten or twenty years, fewer and fewer people are willing to pay the premium for them.
For airports, the simple act of taking off and firing machine guns and rockets is more marketable; going back to basics actually creates a better market.
However, the operating model needs to be changed from direct operation to providing supporting services and transferring ownership of the fighter jets to customers, which will better stimulate their consumption desire.
However, customer cultivation should start with de-weaponized private fighter jets, so that customers don't get itchy to play but have to fly to Afika first.
“You’re absolutely right. I said I wanted to come to Afica to do air combat, and many clients have expressed great interest and said they would come to Afica when they have time.”
On the way to the room, after listening to Xia Yu's general explanation of his willingness to cooperate, Hamish expressed his deep agreement.
In any case, the private fighter jet industry in the United States fully demonstrates the reality that buying a plane is cheap, but maintaining it is expensive.
Those billionaires can afford to keep several planes without a problem; they don't care about such things. But the moderately wealthy, with assets of only a few hundred million or a billion, are quite bothered by it.
If there are cheaper options, these people definitely wouldn't mind spending money.
"And one of my long-time clients will be teaming up with me tomorrow. I've watched him rise to prominence, from his first Eclipse Eclipse 500 to Pattaya's Phenom 300, Bombardier's Challenger 350, and now the Gulfstream G650."
Hamish continued.
The resale value of private jets is very high. Saving money is only one aspect; more importantly, production capacity cannot keep up with orders.
If you place an order today and wait two years for delivery, you might either go bankrupt or your personal assets might multiply several times over, making you look down on the plane you bought before, which is only being delivered now.
The client he was talking about had seen his net worth steadily increase, and he was very pragmatic, buying only second-hand vehicles, flying them for a few years, and then selling them to buy bigger ones.
Now that we've upgraded to the Gulfstream G650, any further upgrade would require converting a twin-engine large aircraft like the Boeing 787 or Airbus A350.
As for the Boeing 747 and Airbus A380, they are more suitable for large customers in the Middle East.
The wealthy don't need private fighter jets; they can just fly directly to an air force base if they want to.
That is, they don't own an aircraft carrier or have flown carrier-based aircraft, so they come to the Afica War Museum to spend money to experience it.
Wealthy individuals in other countries cannot operate this way. The person Hamish mentioned is a potential client of Jihuo Defense.
"He just prefers American aircraft; this time he was on an F-4J."
"We also sell American phones, but they are a bit more expensive."
Xia Yu said that if the price was right, the F-16 would not be a problem.
It's a shame to remove the radar and fire control from this thing; I suggest buying it and keeping it in Afica.
"That's great. Speaking of which, I have customers who like French delta wing aircraft, but unfortunately, the French aircraft carriers don't offer the experience of flying French aircraft."
Hamish said with a mix of joy and regret.
This can't be blamed on Xia Yu. The Super Etendard is a single-seat aircraft, and the Rafale has never been sold to a private individual. In addition, the price is unaffordable for most people.
"If not limited to aircraft carriers, the Mirage-2000 can also be chosen for delta wing aircraft."
Xia Yu offered his sincere advice.
The Mirage III and Mirage F1 were not profitable, so the Mirage-2000, with a total production of over 600 aircraft, was the best choice.
Old Ha wants to start with third-generation fighters when he gets into air combat, so he'll probably collect a bunch of Mirage-2000s.
The single-seat model can be converted into a target drone, while the two-seat model can be sold for 30 million or 50 million as a second-hand product.
"This is great! I've never sold a Phantom-2000 before!"
Hamish said excitedly.
The MiG-29 is a timeless classic in the industry, but now he wants to try something different and eat French food.
"Let's not talk about this anymore, Mr. Hamish. You should get some rest. We'll talk again tomorrow."
Upon reaching the suite door, Xia Yu bid farewell.
Today's meeting was just the initial contact, and he doesn't currently have any F-16s or Mirage 2000s that are available for sale.
But aren't all projects launched from the PowerPoint presentation stage?
Xia Yu values the arms sector of Jihuo Defense very much, and he sees the civilianization and privatization of military equipment as the next expansion opportunity.
Yes, arms sales, even the circulation of second-hand equipment, are inevitably intertwined with politics.
Small-scale operations are fine, but large quantities become problematic, not to mention that the equipment he prepared using the system is somewhat of an "unknown origin."
Therefore, while Xia Yu values it, the military version is destined not to be the core business of Jihuo Defense.
But he still has a lot of ideas about opening up new avenues and reducing their political attributes.
As a private military contractor, Xia Yu sees the Forbes Global Rich List not as a kill list, but as a vast market.
The combined spending power of these billionaires, whose net worth is in the tens of billions, is equivalent to that of a middle-ranking country like Afica.
So he targeted the budget of the other party—the one who bought luxury homes, supercars, and superyachts—and thought it would be great to buy private fighter jets and main battle tanks from him.
Xia Yu believes that the transition from a more expensive spending experience to more cost-effective private ownership is a natural process.
Back on the flight deck, he boarded the still-running AS550 and flew towards an anchorage between Pointe-Noire and the Goh naval base.
It is safest to arrange for the wealthy people who arrive by yacht to stay in this place. Right now, in addition to Old Ha's Yas, there are three other yachts of different sizes docked here.
One of the most eye-catching is the USS Zumwalt-class destroyer, DDG-1000, which looks very similar in design to the older USS Magna Carrier, but with a displacement of only about 6,000 tons, half that of the older USS Magna Carrier.
Sure enough, Old Ha wasn't the only wealthy person who liked warships, and this guy was even more willing to spend money on them.
The helicopter landed on the helipad of the yacht named "Motor Yacht A". Its owner, Andrei Melnichenko, wearing sunglasses, raised his glass of champagne to greet Xia Yu, who had just disembarked from the plane.
This Osmanian coal and fertilizer tycoon ranks 89th in the world with a net worth of $13.2 billion, with only six people ahead of him in the entire country.
Abramovich, who is more well-known internationally, is only older than him in age, but his assets differ by more than 4 billion.
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