Don't talk about martial arts, I'm a war contractor

Chapter 445: First look at the exhibition, equipment and financial management (asking for monthly tickets!)

The escort group number 1 was divided into two teams and boarded trucks. After leaving the airport with two Weasels, they headed towards the Villepinte Exhibition Center in the northern suburbs of Bali.

This year's Satteli Defense Exhibition is more lively than the previous one, bringing together 63 exhibitors from 1802 countries around the world.

No, it’s 1803!
Xia Yu changed from a spectator to a businessman, bringing an ambitious work of fire defense.

After the Fisher landed, the group directly arrived at the scene by riding on an NH-90 of the Japanese Army Aviation.

Because the defense exhibition will not officially open until tomorrow, the exhibition center is full of exhibitors setting up their booths.

Looking down from the sky, there were hundreds of armored vehicles parked outside alone.

According to Xia Yu, including their company's Weasel S3 and S30, a total of 260 tanks and armored vehicles will be exhibited at this defense exhibition.

If they hadn't brought any live ammunition, this lineup could have swept across a country.

The problem is that the logistics department is so desperate that they have to ensure the supply of hundreds of different types of armored vehicles. Only a cheating player like Xia Yu can handle it.

The helicopter landed on the tarmac, and everyone jumped out of the cargo hold quickly, arriving at the venue before the convoy that was stuck on the road.

As the host country, exhibitors from the country have the best locations, and the outdoor dynamic exhibition area is supported by the National Gendarmerie Intervention Group (GIGN) and the Army.

Professionals demonstrated individual protective equipment and vehicle equipment with great effect. However, all light weapons, from pistols, rifles to machine guns, were foreign products. Only ordinary troops that could not come to the defense exhibition were still using FAMAS.

Watching them rehearsing for tomorrow's exhibition performance, Xia Yu affirmed their professionalism, but what about Leclerc?

The strongest firepower he saw a VBCI surrounded by flexible shielding armor.

Xia Yu doesn't like the big eight-wheeled vehicle and the 25mm machine gun, but this kind of shielding armor that uses wire to make the grille-type armor flexible is still very attractive, and it is much lighter than those steel grilles.

The covering weight per square meter has been reduced from 200 kg to 20 kg, which is equivalent to reducing the grille armor package of tanks and infantry fighting vehicles from 3 tons to 0.3 tons.

It is also easier to replace on the battlefield. When an armored unit equipped with an active defense system has exhausted all its interceptor missiles and must passively withstand damage, the broken metal grille armor cannot be replaced immediately.

At this time, find a safe place, and the accompanying digital team can complete the replacement of a flexible shielding armor in a few minutes, effectively preventing the breached area from being repeatedly fired upon.

It is indeed a good thing. My hometown has done relevant research early on. This year's batch of blue helmets from Nanxiaoxun can be used. If it is for concentrated fire defense, we have to wait until the next deployment.

To attack the Tuareg who are not that fierce, ordinary metal grille armor is enough.

But without even a tank, the martial virtues of the Chinese people are not as strong as they used to be. Besides, is it true that this Leclerc thing cannot be sold?
The ones that can be sold are the UAE models that use the Leopard 2 European power pack. It can only be said that price is a very realistic issue.

Except for a few big customers, Leclerc can only be sold like Rafale, with the Air Force paying for it first to enjoy it, and then servicing it before selling it second-hand.

The advertising effect of the Leclerc UAE of Jihuo Defense can be to boost the sales of second-hand AMX-56 in the future.

How should I put it? This is the case with all domestic products. Luxury goods in the weapon and equipment industry are also very popular in the second-hand market.

When Japan completely phases out their M60 Phoenix, they might buy a batch of old Leclercs from China and modify them themselves!

Or use a mature solution of concentrated fire defense, he thought to himself, and came to Rheinmetall's exhibition hall which was connected inside and outside and had a very good location.

Outside, KraussMaffei Wegmann's Leopard 2A7+ is placed diagonally opposite Rheinmetall's Leopard 2RI and the KF-31 Lynx, which is no longer popular.

Next to it is a German-French joint research vehicle, known as the European Main Battle Tank (EMBT), but the tank is tightly covered with a car cover, and its true appearance will not be officially revealed until tomorrow.

But I heard that it is a Leopard 2 chassis with a Leclerc turret. Xia Yu can modify one of this kind of car himself, and it is almost impossible to sell one. It is a concept car like the KF-51 Black Panther.

But Xia Yu didn't expect that Rheinmetall would also bring the old Leopard 2RI.

It is well known that they are only a subsystem supplier of Leopard 2, and the so-called Rhine Leopards are all old cars equipped with upgrade kits.

A batch of Yinni were sold a few years ago, but they have not been delivered yet. Judging from the fact that this upgraded model has appeared in several consecutive defense exhibitions, the other party obviously still wants to gain something.

However, can a small number of Leopard 2RIs really compete with the newly added Leopard 2SG?
Suddenly I feel the beauty of T-84 fighting against T-80. I use the money for buying new cars to buy old cars. Even if I don't learn from China to buy "Japanese goods", it's the same as learning from Vietnam to buy Mao's cars. It's really hard to describe the problem of buying Leopard 2 to protect against Leopard 2.

At least Xia Yu would not use Leopard 2. This vehicle seriously wastes tonnage, and with multiple layers of protection, its weight is close to 70 tons.

Unlike Leclerc, which weighs only about 50 tons, it works well when paired with the T-80U.

Xia Yu did not stay outside for long. The group went directly into the exhibition hall. The first thing they saw was also a heavy infantry fighting vehicle wrapped in a car cover, which was also the KF-41 Lynx that Jihuo Defense was most familiar with.

"Is there still a need to keep it secret? There are dozens of leaked photos online."

Kuhn couldn't help but complain.

"Maybe... it's for the sense of ritual?"

Xia Yu said while looking at the two large TVs on the left and right sides of the infantry fighting vehicle.

They should be used to play videos tomorrow. Actual combat is the best propaganda, and it can also promote concentrated fire defense.

"Mr. Sherlock, you are finally here."

Hudson, who was there, came over to say hello.

"Your two booths are right next to each other. I'll take you there now!"

Today's protagonist is KF-41. The Weasel S3 and S30 of Fire Defense are the green leaves that set off the red flowers, but green leafy vegetables are much easier to sell than flowers. Even if they only consume a small part of the traffic, it is still a huge exposure.

Compared with Rheinmetall, the modification department of Jihuo Defense is really just a small workshop. It takes a whole year to process orders for less than 100 vehicles. If the vehicles sell out, they will have to pretend to expand production capacity to avoid being too shocking.

"The location is great, but Mr. Hudson, besides the KF-41 Lynx, your company seems to have brought a lot of new products on this trip?"

After finding the right spot, Xia Yu looked at the other booths of Rheinmetall and said.

"That's right. Our main product this time is the KF-41, and our second product is the Oerlikon SkyRanger mobile air defense system based on the Boxer chassis."

Hudson raised his hand and pointed to a large single 35mm anti-aircraft vehicle on the left.

This large eight-wheel chassis itself is not cheap and is equipped with expensive search and tracking radars. Xia Yu did not even dare to ask the other party about the price of the vehicle.

Back home, single 35mm anti-aircraft guns are all mounted on cat-type vehicles, and a large eight-wheeled vehicle must have a Gatling gun to combine the missile and the gun into one!
Xia Yu would definitely not be able to brag about selling this car. Only those countries that have purchased or are willing to purchase the Boxer Infantry Fighting Vehicle would buy this Sky Ranger, right?
In this regard, he can proudly say that he only chooses domestically made air defense vehicles. The Red Cheetah really only has a chassis, which is the old Cheetah, and the broken radar has been replaced with new ones.

"It looks a bit out of proportion?" Xia Yu endured it again and again. As a person who loves appearance, he still told Hudson what he thought of the car.

"I think so too. It looks a bit like a small car carrying a big gun. Maybe the 30mm caliber is more suitable for a wheeled platform?"

Even though it is a product of his own company, Lao Ha did not go against his conscience and insisted that the car was beautiful.

"Yes, just like the 31mm caliber on the KF-35 is incongruous, only the size of the KF-41 is suitable for a large caliber."

Xia Yu took over the conversation and continued to comment.

"Okay, I'll make a note of it. I'll take a look at the overall evaluation after the exhibition is over. If it doesn't work, I'll go back and revise it!"

Hudson also nodded.

Participating in a defense exhibition is not all about grabbing orders and selling goods. Communication between peers and customers is also important, which can help an immature product to be upgraded into a hot commodity.

However, the defense of Jihuo is very pure. This time, the trip to the country is not only to support Rheinmetall, but also to sell second-hand modified cars. They can't come up with any concept cars.

In addition to the main and auxiliary, Rheinmetall also brought the Ragnarok 120mm mortar system, the G-LMT mobile crane, and the Mission Master multi-purpose hybrid unmanned vehicle.

These are just for fun. The large-caliber mortars of the Fire Defense Force have just been replaced.

A Leclerc ARV that can lift the engine package is enough for the crane, but this hybrid eight-wheeled unmanned vehicle is quite interesting.

Drones, driverless cars, driverless boats, unmanned operations are the future.

This unmanned vehicle is also modularly designed. Part of the loading platform is a replaceable weapon platform, and part of it is the mission load area, which can carry personnel equipment and logistical supplies.

After experiencing it firsthand, Xia Yu felt that this kind of car was just a little expensive at over 100,000 euros, unlike the trolleys that cost hundreds of thousands of dollars and required someone to hold it with their hands.

Of course, the best choice is still the cheaper unmanned cat car, which can be airdropped with the personnel, and it will not be a pity to throw it away or blow it up after completing the mission.

Therefore, Rheinmetall's best products are infantry fighting vehicles and various artillery pieces, and it does not have such a deep foundation in other projects.

"Boss, we're here!"

After several hours of traffic jam, Sergei and his team finally arrived at the venue. Xia Yu asked Kuhn and his team to pick them up.

After a while, two modified Weasels equipped with rubber tracks were driven to the Jihuo Defense booth by Kuhn and Lehmann.

"Your Weasel S30 is too similar to the KF-31 Lynx, but the anti-tank firepower of 4 Cornets is much stronger than 2 Spikes."

Hudson said as he looked at the stopped infantry fighting vehicle.

They do not have as complete a military-industrial system as the Chinese. The only anti-tank missiles they use are the Spikes that are available on the shelf. The most they can make is an Iron Fist-3 rocket. But who would expect to use this thing to crack open a tank? At most, it can hit pickup trucks and light armored vehicles.

“It’s mainly the idea of ​​the BMP-2M, but cruise missiles combined with drones will be more practical than missiles in the future.”

It is easier to launch cruise missiles to carry out top attack tactics against tanks than to destroy a tank with anti-tank missiles. It is still too dangerous for infantry fighting vehicles and tanks to engage in close combat. It is better to kill the enemy from dozens of kilometers away.

Xia Yu naturally told the truth to people in the industry, and as for customers, it would not be too late to sell the S3 and S30 first, and then provide upgrade packages seven or eight years later.

"You are right. Traditional vehicle-mounted anti-tank missiles are not as effective as before. The future is dominated by drones and cruise missiles."

Hudson agreed with Xia Yu's opinion, so they also stepped up the development of the air defense system in order to come up with solutions to deal with such low, slow and small targets.

With precise radar guidance and programmable ammunition, even subsonic missiles can be shot down, not to mention these little Karamis.

The only problem is that it is very expensive and few customers can afford it.

"By the way, how many Jagdpanther anti-aircraft vehicles do you have?"

Xia Yu asked Hudson.

He has started to stockpile large-caliber howitzer shells, so shouldn't he stockpile some anti-aircraft vehicles as well?
There is no need to upgrade to the Cheetah A9 standard. Ordinary shells with the original radar are enough to shoot down most air targets, and the price can be sold several times higher by then.

But in order to avoid being accused of favoring German products, Xia Yu's trip to Russia to purchase goods included the Soviet Tunguska combined missile and artillery system.

"Why? You want to buy it?"

Hudson asked unexpectedly.

Through a lot of battlefield shooting materials, he knew that the modified Cheetah of Jihuo Defense was very powerful. Could it be that they were planning to sell the same improved model?
Even if Xia Yu had this idea, no one would be willing to spend nearly 10 million US dollars to buy a Cheetah. At most, he would spend more than ten minutes to maintain each car, restore its condition a little, and then sell it for three to five million yuan a few years later.

How should I put it? Just treat it as a financial product. This is what Xia Yu learned from the old king.

Weapons and equipment that are worthless in peacetime become worth a lot of money during wartime, and it is easy to make several hundred percent profit.

"Yes, wouldn't it be a good idea to equip every vehicle with portable anti-aircraft missiles?"

Xia Yu answered directly.

"Isn't this the same idea as your modified Weasel? Although we have done it before, it didn't work at all due to the Cold War. Now is a good opportunity."

Hudson thought of the Cheetah 1A2, an anti-aircraft vehicle that used the Stinger.

Targets that the dual 35mm anti-aircraft guns cannot reach can be shot down by launching missiles. Regardless of the model, the two portable air defense missiles integrated by Jihuo Defense can definitely get a good premium.

There won't be much point in changing to Rheinmetall. Not only will the missiles have to be purchased from outside, but the old Cheetahs in the garage will also have to be dragged out and refurbished. There really won't be much profit.

"We still have dozens of them. If you need them, just let me know. But the ammunition in stock seems to be out..."

Hudson stopped talking in the middle of his words. It seemed that Concentrated Fire Defense would never be short of ammunition of this caliber?
Whether it is ordinary high-explosive bombs, high-penetration tungsten core armor-piercing bombs, or high-tech programmable air-blast bombs.

"There is plenty of ammunition, but if there is stock, we are willing to take it."

Buying out all the matching ammunition on the market will help to raise prices later. As a profiteer, Xia Yu is a professional.

"Okay, I estimate it will cost 1 million euros to complete the whole thing. Will this affect your company's cash flow?"

"Mr. Hudson, you underestimate our company. The net profit from the second deployment in the Sahel region is more than this. Our company just has a small number of people, not that we can't make a profit."

(End of this chapter)