"However, if they are willing to sell at a low price, I might consider stockpiling another batch of unmanned target drones."
Xia Yu then changed the subject, revealing his idea of finding a bargain.
Years ago, the Turkish Mirage 2000 shot down a Turkish Fighting Falcon, but last year Turkey took revenge when the Turkish F-16 crashed a Mirage 2000-5 while intercepting their F-16.
With this case in mind, people from Xila can't ask for high prices when selling secondhand goods.
French-made phones have a lifespan similar to luxury goods: they're good in the early to mid-stages, but become unusable and require expensive maintenance and repairs later on.
Unlike the older, patched-up F-16s from Magnesium, which can be used until after 2050, it wouldn't be surprising if Lockheed Martin's export orders, which are still in production, allowed the last Fighting Falcon for global users to remain in service until 2070.
What is a century-old fighter jet? This is it.
Xia Yu has two black ones, but it's true that American-made phones have a long lifespan.
He estimated that the Xila Mirage 2000s would be completely phased out in the next ten years or so, but before that, the 33 old RF/F-4E Phantoms would be taken out first.
Although the Xila Air Force has not yet released any information, Xia Yu has accurately grasped their pulse, and this visit is also a test.
They were testing whether they would sell the F-4Es that were still in service at Andravida base.
The other side introduced 121 old Phantoms in the late 1960s, and 33 of them are still in use today, all thanks to the organ donors of nearly 100 of them.
If Xila can sell even the last batch of F-4Es, it means that these spare parts can also be sold as a package. Xia Yu should seize the opportunity to replenish his military and civilian aircraft graveyard.
"If you want ghosts, you can buy them from Germany!"
After hearing her husband's analysis, Liv, who had finished eating, put down her knife and fork and said...
Unlike older folks like Kuhn who still have memories of the MiG-29, she was born in the 1990s after the reunification of Germany, and most of the fighter jets she saw and heard about growing up were from the west.
For example, the 263 specially made F-4s introduced in 1968 were far more than what the people of Xila could buy.
"First of all, the Phantoms in your country have had their ground attack capabilities disabled. Secondly, they were all decommissioned in 2013. If I buy them and then refurbish them, I'm afraid they won't be ready for delivery."
Xia Yu revealed two reasons for not buying the F-4F.
"One more thing, the F-4Es in Xila were also upgraded with the help of the Germans; they couldn't handle this."
"I understand now, so that's how it is."
Liv said thoughtfully.
"But you're right. If we don't buy it this time, we can buy it next time. This kind of watered-down version of the Goblin is suitable for both collection and modification into a target drone."
Like the Germans, the Japanese also use a downgraded version of the aircraft. Their RF/F-4EJ is also being phased out, but no matter how cheap the price is, Xia Yu will not buy it.
After dinner, the couple went downstairs to stroll on the hotel's beach.
After finishing their business here, they will return to Germany for a comprehensive prenatal checkup at the hospital where their daughter was born, and then they will fly to the United States.
While Liv is still not showing her pregnancy and can still travel around with Xia Yu, it would be more sensible for her to return to China to prepare for childbirth as soon as possible, especially since she is pregnant with twins.
Multiple pregnancies can be reduced in number, and twins can sometimes result in only one being born safely due to unforeseen circumstances. Pregnancy requires more care than with a singleton pregnancy.
"Splash splash"
The next morning arrived quickly, and amidst the roar of the propellers, an H-215 utility helicopter landed on the rooftop helipad of the hotel.
As an upgraded version of the Super Puma, the H-215 has decent performance, but unfortunately, Firepower Defense doesn't have a tradition of buying new aircraft.
I'll buy a few more of these models when they become available as secondhand phones in a couple of years!
With the development of the Afica War Museum in recent years, Konluga has become increasingly international. Many wealthy and middle-class people no longer choose traditional tourist destinations like Keniya, but instead want to explore the fruit rainforests of West Felix.
Busa also recognized this and was willing to engage in in-depth cooperation.
Targeting the high-end market, coupled with the muddy roads during the rainy season, land transportation is definitely not an option. Sending a Mi-8 Hippo or a Mi-171 aerial tractor would probably make tourists dizzy.
Airbus's high-end aircraft are more suitable for non-military personnel to fly, but Busa can't handle these delicate things, so they can only be operated by a subsidiary of Jihuo Defense.
That's pretty good. So many guys at headquarters want to retire but don't want to stay at the mine. They can arrange for them to be on board for security.
As the company continues to develop, its systems are becoming more and more comprehensive, and a retirement (transfer) mechanism for eligible employees should also be implemented.
Soon, the helicopter arrived at Larissa Air Force Base, which is also the headquarters of the Greek Tactical Air Force.
"Buzz"
An F-16 took off in the distance, heading off on some unknown mission.
Xila has purchased over a hundred F-16 Fighting Falcons. Last year, it reached an upgrade contract with the US to upgrade a newer batch of 83 F-16s to the F-16V standard.
The old Fighting Falcon has no value for upgrading. If you don't want to keep it in storage and let it depreciate, the right thing to do is to sell it secondhand as soon as possible.
"So we can forget about the F-16C/D Block 52+ batch. Even if they were willing to sell it, we couldn't afford it."
Xia Yu and his wife discussed the specific batches of purchases.
"Then let's buy Block 30."
"They can only buy Block 30s! I wonder how many they're willing to transfer."
Looking at an old lieutenant general walking towards them, Xia Yu muttered to himself.
"Mr. Sherlock, I've heard so much about you..."
The other party shook hands with Xia Yu and exchanged pleasantries.
Thanks to his success in resolving the terrorist attack in the United States, he earned the title of a famous detective, which spread far and wide from Afica to Europe.
A person's name is like a tree's shadow; if others don't know who you are, how can you talk about becoming the king of the PMC industry?
"Your Excellency, I am here for your country's F-4 and F-16 aircraft."
Xia Yu stated his purpose directly.
"Mr. Sherlock, are you so certain that we will sell these two fighter jets?"
The old lieutenant general asked him with a smile.
"Of course, outdated equipment should be converted from military to civilian use. Facing the one across the Aegean Sea, your air force needs some more powerful fighter jets."
Using this as an excuse, Xia Yu began to give his opinions on the country.
"Otherwise, similar accidents to last year will happen many more times in the future."
He wasn't exaggerating; the other person's expression also turned serious.
"Mr. Sherlock is right. Despite our financial difficulties, the Air Force cannot function without reform."
"Therefore, it's also necessary to streamline operations before making changes. Only by being lightly equipped can we better cope with the situation that follows. Although your country hasn't announced it yet, you should already have a similar plan, right?"
Xia Yu said confidently.
"Yes, the Air Force has reached a consensus that the F-4s will be retired in the next few years, and the F-16C/D Block 30s will also be phased out. We haven't made a decision about the Mirage 2000 yet." This is not a secret that can't be discussed. The funds raised from selling the old aircraft and the savings from the maintenance budget will be invested in purchasing new fighter jets.
Take the F-35 F-35, for example, a fifth-generation stealth fighter that Turkey longs for but cannot have.
However, with the price of the bare machine compressed to less than $100 million, Magnesium clearly intends to profit from subsequent technical support. But if you don't buy this, there is simply no better option.
So be it if you're being manipulated. You just want to collect gold coins, huh? Fine, I'll give you what you want.
The problem is that the F-35 cannot replace the Mirage 2000's niche. After all, they are still a European country and cannot put all their eggs in the hands of the United States.
"Buy a Rafale. If you think it's too expensive, there are used ones. Use them to replace the Mirage 2000 and you can form a single-engine or dual-engine high-low configuration with the F-16."
Xia Yu casually mentioned it.
Arms deals are linked to politics. As an EU member state, Greece cannot buy Soviet-made aircraft. Apart from American-made ones, it can only choose from within the EU.
The Gripen is the first to pass, followed closely by the Typhoon, so only the Gust is left.
Compared to the British who are giving up, the French haven't given up yet. For small countries that don't want to stand with the first two, buying French aircraft is the safest option.
This also contributed to the sales of the Rafale. Even if people couldn't afford it, the Air Force would use its defense budget to get a taste of the benefits for a few years and then sell it secondhand at a low price.
The Gauls are truly amazing, they're so incredibly kind and gentle!
"This, this is really a good suggestion."
The lieutenant general was initially taken aback, but then realized that they really didn't have any other choice. However, this famous detective contractor truly lived up to his name, seeing through them so thoroughly.
"We will consider it carefully."
If they were only interested before, now they are definitely going to buy it; they need the support of the Malaysians.
"Then I wonder what the condition of your country's F-16C/D Block 30 is?"
Xia Yu steered the conversation back to their business.
The price range for storage aircraft that cannot be flown directly will not differ too much, since they all require major maintenance anyway.
However, the condition of these retired aircraft that can fly immediately greatly affects their price, even if you are purchasing them as a package. You must thoroughly and meticulously inspect the condition of each fighter jet.
"To be honest, none of them are very good, especially the radar fire control and rack data wiring."
The lieutenant general answered honestly.
Older aircraft are used to accumulate flight hours for newly graduated pilots; ground, air, and sea attack capabilities can be trained on newer batches of F-16s.
"This news is bad for national clients and corporate clients who provide adversary services, but fortunately, we at Focusfire Defense sell to private buyers, so that doesn't matter."
Seeing the other party's sincerity, Xia Yu decided to reciprocate, and he changed his negotiation strategy.
"Of course, the price can't be too high; we only care about the aircraft's lifespan."
“I know you are an excellent fighter pilot, Mr. Sherlock. You can fly all 32 of our F-16C/D Block 30s over the next month and experience the aircraft’s condition firsthand.”
The lieutenant general said magnanimously.
"I only need to fly half of them, 16 aircraft, there's no need for so many."
Xia Yu quickly waved his hand in refusal.
He had no intention of buying up all of the Block 30 Fighting Falcons, because the price for the ones in good condition simply couldn't be reduced to under 10 million euros.
For individual users, the multi-million dollar flying price is still more attractive.
Therefore, Xia Yu plans to purchase a total of 12 F-16s this time, including a contract for 3 aircraft, a potential contract for 3 Afica aircraft, about 4 unmanned target drones, and 2 low-end aircraft to be paired with the Red Fighting Falcon.
As for all 32 aircraft, he certainly can't acquire them with the 300 to 500 million euros he has, especially since he hasn't bought the F-4s yet!
"Your Excellency, the specific quantity and price of F-16s for Jihuo Defense can only be determined after the aircraft's condition is inspected, but we can sign a letter of intent for the F-4Es first."
Xia Yu finally brought up the old Ghosts. This second-generation fighter jet was just a bonus for the Fighting Falcon. He would at most test-fly one or two of them symbolically. It would be too inefficient for every single one to fly over.
"Please elaborate."
The old lieutenant general gestured for him to speak.
"If possible, we would like to acquire the 15 F-4Es based in Andravida."
Xia Yu revealed his needs.
This is the best-condition old Ghost in their possession. If they are willing to sell this one, then he will offer a new contract.
"We were planning to use it for 24 years, but since your company has a need for it, we will hold a meeting to make a decision."
The old lieutenant general didn't make any guarantees, but what he said was pretty much the truth.
They are still using this second-generation machine, mainly because Tuerqi has not retired their Turkic monsters.
It's unwise to risk the precious flight hours of F-16s and Mirage 2000s against older aircraft.
The correct choice would be to pit F-4s against F-4s and F-4s against F-5s. But Xia Yu has already suggested retiring half of the F-4Es and relying on the remaining 18 to get through the last few years. However, by then, these F-4Es will be even harder to sell.
If we can't sell them, so be it; they're not worth much anyway.
"In that case, I would like to trouble the general to add another issue—whether to sell the 50 spare parts aircraft that have been stored in the warehouse."
Xia Yu finally revealed his ultimate goal.
Given the size of fighter jets, 50 aircraft would be piled up in one compartment in an aircraft boneyard, which would only be visible from a satellite perspective. In the future, the company's inventory of MiG-21s, F-4s, and F-5s will all be stored in Keidar, Marie.
The sheer number of thousands of aircraft will be the best demonstration of our firepower and defense capabilities, and a striking feature of the Cold War section of the War Museum.
Buying fighter jets from Jihuo Defense means you'll never have to worry about maintenance or crashes. We have enough spare parts for every model, and it doesn't matter if the manufacturer stops production or is acquired.
"Your company certainly has the guts to produce 50 aircraft."
After a slight surprise, the old lieutenant general gave a thumbs up.
Even for accessory units, very few people would buy this many.
"This is just the beginning. We will purchase 100 or 200 more F-4s in the future. Rather than letting them slowly rot in the open, we would like to help them return to the blue sky and die a glorious death."
Among American aircraft, only the F-4 Phantom, with a production volume of over 5,000, can be considered the M-16 of the air, and can be regarded as a fine grain of rice outside of the fish nest target drone.
"Oh, you're a natural businessman. I wish your plans great success in the future."
The old lieutenant general didn't understand, but was greatly shocked, and offered his heartfelt blessings.
This is what a pure soldier is like. But in the great melting pot of the military, not everyone is a professional soldier. The two-year service period is only to select a small group of people who are suitable to be professional soldiers.
Most people will return to society and devote themselves to various industries.
Xia Yu once dreamed of becoming a professional soldier, but fate brought him to Afica, where he stumbled into the cutthroat world of PMC by chance and climbed step by step to where he is today.
"May all our wishes come true!"
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