Set sail1992

Chapter 1403 A Little Surprise with Drones

Zhang Qihang pondered for a moment and thought that building a drone factory near the Middle East would be a good idea: at least it would be convenient for users, right? Anyway, what we produce are aerial photography drones, plant protection drones, and power line patrol drones. As for whether users will modify the drones after buying them and what they will use them for, this is not something we can control. It's like a kitchen knife. What we sell is a kitchen knife. As for whether some people really use it to cut vegetables after buying it, no one listens to what the kitchen knife manufacturer says.

"A drone factory..."

“Yes, yes.” Hearing Zhang Qihang’s tone seemed not very firm, Samir Khalil’s heart beat faster instantly. He hurriedly said, “Zhang, you know that our neighboring countries, especially Egypt, as a major grain-producing country in the Mediterranean region, still have a great demand for plant protection drones. As for the export of such products, our country still has no policy. We can export them according to the ‘agricultural plant protection equipment’…”

Zhang Qihang was a little surprised: "Agricultural plant protection equipment?"

"Yes, what's the problem?" Samir Khalil asked confidently, "This thing is originally used to spray pesticides on farmland!"

Zhang Qihang: “…”

  That makes a lot of sense. If anyone tells me again that foreigners are not flexible, I will be angry with him!

Samir Khalil on the other end of the phone continued, "In addition, if possible, you can also produce the matching aircraft engines. We promise to purchase at least 1000 engines per year."

  engine?

Samir Khalil's words finally made Zhang Qihang confirm one thing: Huateng Group's drone technology was indeed "targeted" by Damascus.

He said tentatively, "Oh, my company has recently developed a fixed-wing drone, which is mainly used for forest fire prevention, early detection of large-scale insect diseases, lake and mountain security, and long-distance power line patrols.

Equipped with a civilian-grade GPS signal system, it can achieve a patrol radius of 300 kilometers, and the price is not expensive. Mr. Khalil, I wonder if you are interested?"

Samir Khalil said in a lost voice: "A patrol radius of 300 kilometers?"

"Yes," Zhang Qihang said with a smile, "In fact, it can be made bigger, but we don't think it's necessary."

Samir Khalil's heart on the other end of the phone started beating wildly!

Although the job he was in charge of was trade development, it did not mean that he was unaware of what the “300-kilometer patrol radius” meant: with a slight modification and adjustment of the payload, this would be a big bomber with a range of over 800 kilometers!

Suppressing his excitement, Samir Khalil asked Zhang Qihang in the calmest tone possible: "Zhang, it sounds good. If the price is right, this kind of drone will be very useful in agricultural plant protection and forest fire prevention. I just don't know how much it costs?"

Zhang Qihang smiled and said, "The basic version is only $8."

“8 million dollars?!”

Samir Khalil's eyes widened on the other end of the line.

It's not that the price is too high, but that it's too cheap: for a drone with a maximum flight distance of 800 kilometers and a certain load capacity, what's the difference between $8 and giving it away for free? ! "Yes, it's $8," Zhang Qihang nodded, "but this basic version only has daytime patrol capabilities. If you need to carry other functional modules, the price will go up."

  The price went up?

With a reserve price of $8, how much more can it cost?

Samir Khalil said without hesitation: "We can order 10 for trial use first. If the performance can meet our requirements, we will place more orders with you."

"Okay, that's settled then," Zhang Qihang was in a good mood. "As for the engine... well, I need to think about it."

Zhang Qihang did not agree immediately, which disappointed Samir Khalil, but he also understood and nodded, "Okay, I'll wait for your good news."

........................

After hanging up the phone, Zhang Qihang thought about it and decided to go to the drone R&D center.

When they arrived at the UAV R&D center, Shi Zhen was already waiting downstairs with a group of people. When he saw Zhang Qihang, he quickly came up to him and said, "Mr. Zhang, welcome to inspect and guide our work."

Having said that, Shi Zhen felt somewhat guilty about his baptism: compared with the various subsidiaries under the group, well... let alone compared with the four core pillar projects of the group, namely automobiles, motorcycles, electric vehicles and commercial real estate, even compared with some other marginal projects, the drone business is somewhat not good enough.

Zhang Qihang waved his hand: "I'm not here for inspection. I just haven't been here for a long time. I came to see you all and see if you have come up with anything new."

Speaking of this, Shi Zhen felt a little ashamed: "Mr. Zhang, I'm sorry to disappoint you. Over the years, we are still trying to improve the product you originally gave us."

Shi Zhen really felt ashamed. When Mr. Zhang started working on drones, he made drones for aerial photography, plant protection, water and forest patrols, and special applications in the power industry. Ever since Mr. Zhang handed over the drone department to him, so many years have passed, and the drone department's business is still the same. The only difference is that the sales scale has expanded a bit, and the ambition of drones has become more difficult and higher...

Zhang Qihang nodded and said, "Old Shi, you don't have to feel ashamed. These are the only application scenarios for drones. You have done a great job. You are the undisputed world leader in the field of drones. However, you cannot just sit back and enjoy your past achievements. You still need to develop new application scenarios for drones in the future..."

As he was talking, Zhang Qihang suddenly noticed that there was a young man in the crowd who seemed to want to say something, but he hesitated because he was concerned about the presence of so many heavyweight leaders. The most important thing was that although it was the first time he met this young man, his strange face made Zhang Qihang feel as if he had seen him somewhere before.

Thinking of this, Zhang Qihang's heart moved, and he gently said to the young man: "Comrade, do you have anything to say?"

"Ah I?"

The young man probably never expected that he would be personally called by the big boss and asked to speak. He pointed at himself with his backhand and was stunned for a moment, with surprise and disbelief full of young and tender face.