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

Chapter 449: Getting something for nothing, tenacity 140 (asking for monthly ticket!)
"These pirates are really a headache. The impact of the incident in Philippine Sea last year was too bad."

Director Wang couldn't help but say.

He was referring to an extremist group called Abu Sayyaf, which has been engaged in frequent exchanges of fire with government forces since the 1990s.

Last year, they directly captured the southern Philippine city of Marawi and raised a black flag to pledge allegiance to ACE. As a result, the military fought for five months before wiping out nearly a thousand of the enemy.

In order to fight against terrorism, even his hometown donated a batch of CQ rifles and 26 high-precision sniper rifles, but he didn't know that he could not tame an ungrateful person and chose to be the vanguard of the former sect leader.

"Yes, although the leader Hapilon was killed, their naval power was not weakened. Without the suppression of the headquarters, the speed of expansion has become even faster."

Old Dai knows more about the situation of Abu Sayyaf than Director Wang who just took office this year.

The extremist organization's land forces were almost completely destroyed, so they transformed themselves into pirates, who were previously doing it part-time. On average, they committed several crimes every month.

Their targets have also been upgraded from small tugboats to large cargo ships, and their activity areas have also extended from the Sibutu Waterway towards Malacca, which cannot but concern Singapore.

"Whether it's the army or the navy, they're just a bunch of good-for-nothings. The Three Kingdoms Navy Patrol is useless."

Lao Wang is young, but he sees it clearly. Even though they are so rich, they cannot deal with these pirates. The navies of those poor countries are even worse.

Moreover, the most crucial point has been overlooked. It is easy for pirates to rob the crew's personal belongings, and the ransom money can be used directly, but selling various stolen goods and fuel requires opening up a whole upstream and downstream link.

That is to say, someone is condoning and tolerating this situation.

This is also the reason why their Xixian Navy is always restrained in every strike operation. A lot of money is spent but no effect is achieved.

"Can the power of concentrated fire defense really curb these vicious pirates?"

Chief Wang confirmed with Major General Dai again.

"Yes, sir, I think they certainly can."

Old Dai answered without hesitation.

"The enemy's aircraft carrier, the São Paulo, was hijacked by local pirates while being towed to the Gulf of Guinea. They first dispatched fighter jets to lock the real-time position of the ship, and then used a helicopter formation to send combat personnel on board. They successfully cleared the pirates on both ships and rescued all the crew members."

The first-person perspective video released by Jihuo Defense is still in the computer in his office. This company is indeed professional enough.

"That's impressive, but I heard that their land battles are even better?"

Chief Wang, whose specialty is infantry command, is more interested in the land warfare capabilities of concentrated fire defense.

In addition to the purchased Leopard 2A4 SG tanks and M113 transports, Xixian's Bionix tracked infantry fighting vehicles and AV-81 large eight-wheeled vehicles are all self-developed.

The newly developed Hunter infantry fighting vehicle has also begun mass production this year and will be available next year.

Lao Wang is very proud to have led such a highly mechanized army.

However, his work focus has always been in China, so he doesn't know much about PMC companies like Jihuo Defense. It was only because of Xia Yu's unscheduled visit that he got to know the other party a little bit.

"Yes, the most special thing about their company is that they have a small synthetic armored force. The number of vehicles is small, but the combat effectiveness is very strong."

The navy officer Lao Dai understands concentrated fire defense better than his superiors because of his interest, but these are only superficial.

On a deeper level, he did not have a grasp of his boss's character.

The Chinese and the Japanese have the most say in this regard. They are all the ones who have been fleeced, especially the old US navy, army and air force, which have all been controlled by Boss Xia.

"Then there is the Army Aviation. Their modified Hinds are not inferior to our Longbow Apaches in performance. When combined with ground force assaults, they can be said to have swept across Afika. That's why they have the spare capacity to develop maritime operations."

Old Dai continued to analyze for the leader.

The development of maritime business has mainly reached this stage. Pirates in the Gulf of Guinea have always been a problem. For example, during the opening days of the aircraft carrier museum, most of the visitors were ocean-going yachts.

If you use those coastal boats in the Mediterranean Sea and go down the coast of West Philippines, there will be no wind or waves, but you will be robbed of both the people and the boats.

Only a prince who likes to have fun like Ha Xianxin can kill the pirates and pass through the Gulf of Guinea without any damage. Other merchant ships are not very safe in the near-shore anchorage.

The more unsafe Dongnan Ya waters are also in urgent need of private maritime strike operations, and being close to his hometown will make it easier for Xia Yu to obtain personnel support.

It is not difficult to understand why the branch was set up in Singapore. Since ancient times, Malacca has been a sea route connecting Europe and Asia, and countless merchant ships loaded with gold, silver and treasures have sunk there.

This is a huge treasure. Xia Yu, who is in his prime, doesn't have time to spare, but when he retires, he will have plenty of time to hunt for treasure.

In the meantime, the collection of relevant data is also very important, which requires scientific research vessels like Haiyan to conduct in-depth exploration.

The problem is that this area is full of pirates, so he must first get a retired warship with sufficient firepower to escort the scientific expedition.

Many reasons prompted Xia Yu to come to Singapore and to the door of this conference room.

"Good morning, Lieutenant General Wang and Major General Dai!"

The accompanying brigadier general knocked on the door, walked into the conference room, and greeted the two people who had been waiting for a long time.

"The weather is nice today, Mr. Xia. I believe our cooperation will be as bright as this ray of sunshine!"

Director Wang stood up and spoke first.

He speaks Mandarin very well. Military rank and position in Xia County rise quickly, but they will also retire quickly. Lao Wang will be the Chief of the Three Armed Forces for only a few years before he takes off his military uniform and enters politics. It is necessary for him to be proficient in the four official languages.

"I believe it will. The peace and stability of the Strait of Malacca is also what China values. Your side is willing to assume its own responsibilities, and the Joint Fire Defense Force is also willing to lend a helping hand."

Xia Yu said with the same sincerity.

Of course, it is paid, and a small business cannot do much charity, but new members do not have to pay in the first year, and can use the equipment to offset the contract amount.

"What, you want our toughness level?"

Halfway through the conversation, Xia Yu finally revealed the purpose of his trip.

"Your four Endurance-class ships are all more than a decade old. Compared to the previous Anton-class ships with weapons, LCMs and LCVPs, each costing 4 million New Zealand dollars, the old ships without landing craft and secondary weapons are only worth 2 million New Zealand dollars at most."

Xia Yu made a calculation for the other party as soon as he came up.

He did not want any of the original auxiliary landing craft, and only retained an Otto 76mm naval gun as a weapon.

The rest, like two Mistral air defense systems, two MK-38 remote-controlled small water pipes (25mm), and two 12.7mm heavy machine guns, you should remove them and save them as accessories for other ships!
Xiayu will be equipped with anti-ship and anti-aircraft missiles, 11-tube 30mm close-in defense guns, and new multi-functional rocket launchers.

The people of Lu spent more than 100 million to buy a hull and install radar and shipborne weapon systems on it. He wanted a hull without spending a penny and sent it back to his hometown to install the most advanced reconnaissance and attack and defense systems.

"So a Tenacity-class ship is only the basic cost for hiring Fire Defense to patrol and strike for a year. Other charges will depend on the specific circumstances. We will come up with a reasonable charging standard at that time." He said in a tone that sounded like you're making a fortune.

Chief Wang and Lao Dai looked at each other and suddenly realized that what the other said was correct. Their four Tenacity-class ships were all old ships, and it was normal for the residual value to drop to 30% of that year.

If one of the Endurance-class ships is suddenly retired, won’t the navy be short of manpower?
"If there is a shortage, fill it up. You must have a new shipbuilding plan. Besides, a dock landing ship is no match for an amphibious assault ship. I think the Endurance 160 is a good option."

Xia Yu continued to persuade.

He had done his homework in advance. The Endurance 160 was a plan they came up with in 15. The goal was to build an "amphibious assault ship" with a straight deck, a displacement of about 1.5 tons, the ability to take off and land five helicopters at the same time, and equipped with a hangar, garage, and dock.

Yes, because of the limited length of the deck, the Tenacity 160 cannot allow the F-35B to take off from a short distance. In terms of function, it is more like the Japanese Osumi class, which can only take off and land helicopters.

To take off and land the submarine, it needs a quasi-aircraft carrier like the Izumo class, so the Singaporeans are still hesitating whether to lengthen it by one section and upgrade it to Toughness 180 or Toughness 200?

Of course Xia Yu wanted them to build the Tenacity 160. It was too crazy for a city to own an aircraft carrier, even if it was just a quasi-aircraft carrier. Even as the boss of a company that owned an aircraft carrier, he was not very confident when saying this.

"I know that you prefer to build a joint multi-mission ship JMMS that can carry carrier-based fighters, but before the aircraft are in place, it may be more appropriate to build a test ship."

This is to prevent the opponent from trying to take advantage of the situation in one go. Having such a test ship can also make up for the vacancy of a Tenacity-class ship.

If that doesn't work, it won't be difficult to ask the other party to build a new Tenacious ship. Anyway, they just delivered the second Anton-class ship two years ago and sold it to the Chinese for more than 100 million dollars. Our own offer is even lower, and we can squeeze out the money from anywhere, so we can mortgage the old ship to him!

To be on the safe side, Xia Yu made two preparations.

If you don't give the other party a reasonable reason, why should they retire their old ship early and let you take over?

Opportunities come to those who are prepared, and he was well prepared.

"Mr. Xia, what you said is too sudden for us. We can't give you an immediate answer."

It was very attractive for Dai to finalize the construction plan of Toughness 160 during his tenure, but he still responded very officially at this moment.

"I understand, I understand very well, so I will be in Singapore this week, waiting for good news from you two."

Under the premise that the navy wants to build ships, Xia Yu's words do not sound strong. After all, he has already considered the other party.

He doesn't even charge the basic fees for maritime patrols and strikes, and instead uses your ship hull to offset the project payment. What a philanthropist he is.

Well, a kind-hearted person who is skilled in using the skill of getting something for nothing.

In addition to purchasing a dock landing ship from Baiyao County, Xiayu also does not intend to pay for the costs of port berthing, main engine maintenance, and refueling and water addition.

His people are only responsible for the on-board maintenance of weapons and equipment and the main engine. After all, the current home port of this dock landing ship is still the Dashi base, and it would be good to use the same team as the other three Tenacity-class ships.

Offsetting the S$5000 million also means that Xia Yu’s basic offer is less than US$4000 million per year.

The fees are low because he eliminates these hidden costs.

Fire Defense only needs to invest in the initial equipment cost, and then deduct the labor and ammunition costs, and the rest is all profit.

This is the only way to do business, and it can be said to be a win-win situation!

After Xia Yu left, General Wang first held a meeting within the military, and then reported to the Ministry of National Defense, seeking the big boss's decision on whether to immediately advance the Fortitude 170 project.

This was the upgrade plan for the Tenacity 160 last year. The length of the full deck will be just over 170 meters, just enough for the F-35B to take off from a short distance.

In fact, only in this way can the purpose of training, testing and collecting data be achieved.

Their combat effectiveness is certainly worrying, but they have not bought the F-35B yet, and even if they buy it, they don’t know when it will be delivered, so it doesn’t matter whether they can form combat effectiveness.

From this perspective, it seems that there is no need to revise the plan again, and toughness 170 is suitable.

However, filling in the design details and the preliminary preparation work at the shipyard will take time, and it will probably take until next year before all the processes are completed and construction officially begins.

Xia Yu will also have to wait until next year. The radar and firepower upgrades of the Tenacity-class will take three to five months. During the testing period, personnel will go on board for training, and it will take several more months for the ship to become combat-ready.

All in all, the Asian branch will have to wait until the first half of next year to officially start operations.

This year the pirates can only be allowed to run rampant for a while longer, and Xia Yu, who is unaware of the decision of Xi County, is visiting their army, navy and air force.

Not to mention the armored forces, Xia Yu also sat in the front seat of the Air Force's F-15 SG Strike Eagle to experience it for a spin.

[Close Combat Missile: AIM-9X (Printable)]

[Medium-range air-to-air missile: AIM-120C-7 (printable)]

…………

Not only did he experience the control, he also opened the onboard weapons printing list and printed out several missiles that were not available for purchase.

Xia Yu didn't steal, so how can the system be said to have stolen?

I kept two for myself as spares, and dismantled the seeker, radar, engine and other parts of the extra missile, and grinded off all the numbers to take home as a gift.

The whole thing is too sensitive, so it would be fine if it were replaced with parts like this.

There is no way to deal with the highly confidential AIM-260, which seems a bit outdated even before it is officially put into service.

The throttle was pushed forward, and soon the F-15 SG flew out of Singapore and over the high seas.

It's like this in a small country. Air Force training can be very cramped. Fortunately, we can go to Tu'ao for training, where we can have fun as much as we want.

Xia Yu suddenly recalled the days of selection and training in Audaliya a few years ago.

At that time, Liv had just joined the Fire Defense Force, but now she has become the mother of his son. Time is really like a wild horse!

After he had calmed down, the pilot had already taken him back to Xi County and was preparing to land.

"Mr. Xia, our Chief Wang wants you to go to the Ministry of National Defense."

As soon as he got off the plane and took off his helmet, Xia Yu received news from Lao Wang.

"Oh? I'll be there!"

He quickly took off his anti-gravity suit and got on the special car to the Ministry of National Defense, thinking that something about the Toughness level must have been decided, and it was a good decision.

The car stopped downstairs. Xia Yu walked quickly into the room and was led by a lieutenant colonel to a conference room.

(End of this chapter)