Great warships

Chapter 1205: Rainbow Nation’s “Advanced” Aircraft

In just one afternoon, the Type 076 amphibious assault ship was introduced to the rich man. Salman was very satisfied and signed the contract to order two ships on the spot. As for the price, it was certainly not a problem. Qin Tao said whatever it was.

After the signing, everyone held a dinner. When the banquet was over, Wu Shengli looked at Qin Tao and said, "Taozi, where are you going to sleep tonight?"

"Go home, go home and sleep." Qin Tao said quickly.

"Well, that's good enough. Come on, let's go home."

Seeing Wu Shengli's mysterious look, Qin Tao also became curious. What evil plans did his father-in-law have?
Before entering the house, Qin Tao heard bursts of laughter coming from inside. This laughter seemed very familiar?

Wait, could it be...

Qin Tao took a few quick steps and pushed open the door. On the sofa, two women were chatting, as intimate as best friends. One was gentle and dignified, Qin Tao's wife Zhao Ling, and the other was a blonde, blue-eyed, hot foreigner, Vitalia!

"When did you come?" Qin Tao asked in surprise.

"I arrived yesterday. I heard that you came back yesterday, but I didn't see you go home. Qin, you came back to the capital but didn't go home. What does that mean?" Vitalia asked, "If you dare to do anything to let Zhao down, I will punish you on Zhao's behalf."

Zhao Ling watched from the side with a smile on her face, her eyes full of anticipation, "Did you see that? Someone will be able to cure you in the future."

"What are you doing here?" Qin Tao continued to ask.

"Of course I'm here to discuss business, Qin, you won't forget our agreement, right?"

Of course I wouldn’t forget, I just… Qin Tao suddenly realized that he seemed to have really forgotten it.

"Of course not." Qin Tao said, "After I came back, I was busy with your business. Thanks to my efforts, the superiors finally approved the plan to provide you... Guinea with a second amphibious assault ship. After that, we carried out some detailed design and now we have completed all the designs. As long as we can get the money, we can start construction at any time."

“You start working only after you get the money?”

"We'll start the work even if you don't pay us. Let's go back to Mingzhou Group tomorrow and watch us build the amphibious assault ship on the slipway with your own eyes. How about that?"

"Taozi, you guys seem to be having a great time chatting." Wu Shengli, who came in from behind, said, "You guys continue chatting. There's no one else at home. I'll go to the study."

"Dad, you can also sit down and listen. The details of our Type 076 are somewhat different from the two ships we talked about today." Qin Tao said, "You can take a look at it together for reference."

Wu Shengli smiled and said, "Okay, then I'll sit next to you and read the newspaper."

There was no one else at home. My mother-in-law was taking the children to participate in an activity organized by the school and would be away for several days. This home was a perfect place to discuss cooperation.

"Qin, you mentioned two warships today?"

"Yes, it was built for the dog owner."

This is not a secret and it will soon spread all over the world. Vitalia will certainly know about it, so it is better to say it openly now.

"Since we built two for them, it would be too little for us to have only one." Vitalia said, "We need at least three."

Qin Tao opened his eyes wide again. So many? Why do you need so many? Can you afford them?

"Vina, warships not only require construction funds, but also equipment maintenance after construction." Qin Tao said: "One ship is enough for you."

Vitalia smiled and said, "When I said we just now, I meant Africa, not our group. Guinea has an amphibious assault ship, and the Pyramid Nation has two. So, there are a few other countries that are jealous. Algeria wants one, and the Rainbow Nation also wants one."

Qin Tao was immediately delighted: "Really? That's great, we can help them solve the problem!"

These countries are probably also under the control of Vana, or Vana can exert relevant influence, and these countries' desire for aircraft carriers must have been pushed by Vana.

As for the reason, it must be to muddy the waters. After all, if Guinea has it, so do other countries, and the Americans will have nothing to say. This way, Vana, which is hiding behind, will be safer.

Moreover, these countries all have their own reasons.

Algeria is also a big country. The external environment of this country is complex. It has bad relations with Morocco to the west, and it also dislikes the Pyramids Country to the east. The Pyramids Country already has two Mistral ships, and they must be jealous. Moreover, they also don't get along with the French across the Mediterranean. In the current complex situation, if they want to protect themselves, they have to obtain advanced aircraft carriers.

As for the Rainbow Nation, the need is even more urgent.

Historically, the Rainbow Nation's Navy once had a large number of warships and the ability to conduct blue-water operations. Unfortunately, due to diplomatic isolation and the inability to obtain advanced weapons, the Rainbow Nation's Navy could only make do with old warships. In the 12s, with the retirement of a large number of British Type frigates in their naval equipment, their naval equipment shrank rapidly and they became a coastal navy.

Fortunately, at this time, Dongfang extended a hand of friendship. Qin Tao had been to Rainbow Country several times and established a deep friendship with their leaders. The song "Glorious Years" made President Qin the most popular person in Rainbow Country.

Mingzhou Group also has a shipyard in Rainbow Country. This shipyard started out by building catamarans, and gradually has the ability to produce warships. It has also built some small warships. However, the Rainbow Country Navy will certainly not be satisfied. They look forward to obtaining more advanced and more powerful warships.

Now, these two countries both want to purchase aircraft carriers. Qin Tao must welcome them of course, as they are giving money.

No money? It's OK if you have resources.

"After all, the funds of these two countries are limited, so the aircraft carriers they need cannot be too large." Vitalia said: "I think a 20,000-ton amphibious assault ship like the Mistral is enough. Besides, they don't have enough pilots, so they can use drones as their main equipment."

"Of course." Qin Tao said, "We have a ready-made design plan in our design department."

When bidding for the project in Damao, the Second Design Department of Mingzhou Group did a lot of design work, including this one with a displacement of 20,000 tons, which was similar to the Northwest Wind.

As for operating the drone, that's even simpler.

Although it was Vitalia who made the proposal now, Qin Tao knew that Vitalia must have already made arrangements in advance, and the Rainbow Country and Algeria would definitely accept it.

"However, we also need to be able to operate advanced fighter jets, so that we can carry them whenever needed." Vitalia continued, "Guinea will order a slightly larger number of carrier-based aircraft, so we can carry them whenever needed."

Algeria and the Rainbow Nation do not need advanced fighter jets. The most advanced air force in the whole of Africa must be in the hands of Vana. In the future, they can also use the aircraft carriers of these two countries to enhance their ocean combat capabilities, which means that they will always have a powerful formation of three aircraft carriers/amphibious assault ships.

Qin Tao nodded: "No problem, we will make some allowances when designing."

After Qin Tao finished speaking, he looked at Wu Shengli who was reading the newspaper and said, "Dad, what do you think?"

"You guys should negotiate your business yourselves. I don't want to get involved," Wu Shengli replied.

"Also, we think that the catamaran missile boats built by Mingzhou Group more than a decade ago are also good. We hope to purchase a batch of them. Of course, the anti-ship missiles used on them must be replaced with the most advanced models."

Qin Tao didn't react for a moment when they suddenly talked about the small missile boat instead of the high-end aircraft carrier. Moreover, our Mingzhou Group no longer builds this kind of warship!
"Of course, it would be even better if you have a large number of obsolete catamaran missile boats and can sell them to us cheaply."

Is the 022 missile boat outdated?
Of course not, it depends on who the user is!

For the Eastern Navy, there was a serious lack of large warships at that time, and it could only rely on air and submarines to complete the task of protecting the ocean. Missile boats were necessary. After all, missile boats were fast and powerful, but their self-sustaining capabilities were limited. However, relying on various nearby bases, this shortcoming could be compensated.

But now, when the navy began to develop towards the ocean, the 022 missile boat is useless to the East. After all, the 022 missile boat cannot sail long distances, and for near-shore patrols, the 056 is more suitable. The 022 missile boat has a small displacement and a narrow internal space, and is not suitable for naval use. Except for a small number of them that continue to play their residual heat in the southern waters, most of the missile boats have no place to use their skills, and in the navy's equipment sequence, they are already slowly being retired.

Who will they be given to after they are retired? The Coast Guard can equip some, and museums can keep some, but there are still a large number of missile boats. Why not just sell them for money?

Qin Tao looked at his father-in-law and said, "Dad, our navy's Type 022 missile boats have been retired, right? Should they be sealed or sold?"

"We need to hold a meeting to discuss this." Wu Shengli said, "However, if a missile boat can be sold for 20 million US dollars, I estimate that at least 20 boats can be sold."

How much does the Type 022 missile boat cost? This is a mystery, no one knows, but the outside world generally estimates that it is million US dollars. Now one boat is only sold for million US dollars, which is a very cheap price.

Of course, as to whether Vitalia thinks it is appropriate, it depends on her own choice.

"Of course, the technology of this kind of missile boat is not complicated. We can probably build it by finding a shipyard in Africa, such as the one in Rainbow Country. Moreover, there will be less gossip if we build it there," Wu Shengli continued.

These equipments of the navy cannot be sold at a bargain price, otherwise it will be regarded as selling naval assets at a low price. Moreover, if they are sealed now, they may come in handy in the future. Therefore, the better choice is to build them by ourselves. The technology is not complicated anyway. The shipyard in Rainbow Country is still building catamaran yachts, so there will be no big problem in converting 022.

Vitalia's eyes lit up. Yes, it can be made in the Rainbow Country! She originally wanted to buy the retired 022 from the East at a low price, but it seemed that it was not going to work. She might as well start building a new one.

"Okay, then we'll build it ourselves." Vitalia nodded.

"Our Glorious Years Shipyard will also be of great help." Qin Tao said, "Strive for this brand new missile boat, and get it for 20 million US dollars."

After saying that, he felt that it was a bit inappropriate, so he quickly added: "After all, there is a salary advantage on the black side."

Wu Shengli turned over the newspaper as if nothing had happened and continued reading, but it seemed that the newspaper was held upside down?

"Can our Glorious Years Shipyard build amphibious ships? If so, the one ordered by Rainbow Country was built at the Glorious Years Shipyard." Vitalia continued, "This is also in line with the Rainbow Country's requirements for independent national defense."

"Is Heizi also pursuing national defense independence?" Qin Tao couldn't help but ask. He could promise that he was definitely curious, but when they heard him say this, several people in the room laughed out loud.

After everything that needed to be discussed was finished, Vitalia stood up.

"Qin, once everything is arranged, I'll be leaving."

"Don't go, live with me. We haven't seen each other for a long time, let's talk together." Zhao Ling tried to keep him.

Vitalia glanced at Qin Tao again and said, "No, I won't take Qin's place. Even if Qin is in China, he probably won't be with you very often. If I leave overnight, it won't attract too much attention."

Qin Tao took out a USB flash drive and said, "There is detailed information about 076 in it. You can take a look at it when you get back."

"it is good."

On the third day after Vitalia left, the African purchasing group officially went to Mingzhou Group.

It was definitely a rare scene for three countries to come together. In the spacious conference room, Qin Tao warmly received them.

"Ladies and gentlemen, let's talk about them one by one. First, we will introduce the Type 077 aircraft carrier designed for Algeria."

In fact, this type of aircraft carrier is weaker, but the previous numbers have been occupied, so of course we have to continue counting backwards.

The Algerian naval representative was very excited: "Please speak, Mr. Qin. We are very interested in Dongfang's design. The aircraft carrier you designed must be the most advanced."

"Yes, this aircraft carrier has a full load displacement of 192 tons, a length of 36 meters, and a width of meters." Qin Tao began to introduce: "There is a take-off and landing point designed at the front and back of the deck, which can support the take-off and landing of aircraft weighing about tons at most."

Mingzhou Group realized computer design more than ten years ago. By making simple modifications to the original design, it can build warships of different sizes. The designs of aircraft carriers and amphibious assault ships are even more diverse, and they have everything they need.

"However, considering your specific situation, this aircraft carrier will mainly carry drones, which can conduct reconnaissance, attack, and early warning. It has all-round combat capabilities and is easy to operate..."

"In terms of the power system, we decided to install two diesel engines with a maximum speed of 20 knots. This is economical and fuel-efficient. During its entire life cycle, this aircraft carrier can save more than half of the cost of an aircraft carrier of the same displacement."

"Yes, this aircraft carrier is very suitable for us, President Qin. We want to name it Karat Beni Abbas."

"Of course." Qin Tao nodded.

Generally speaking, a naming ceremony will be held after a warship is launched. However, some countries cannot wait and determine the name in advance. Algeria is one of them. Moreover, this name should be the name of a hero in their country's history. Qin Tao remembers clearly that in later generations, Algeria once ordered a ship from Italy with a displacement of only 9,000 tons, but with a straight deck and elevators, which is very similar to a regular aircraft carrier. It is called a quasi-aircraft carrier and was called this name at the time.

What was the price? 400 million euros.

Now, the price of this ship with a displacement of 20,000 tons has almost doubled.

"The price of your aircraft carrier is 800 million US dollars. You can choose to pay in cash or exchange it for resources." After Qin Tao introduced this, he looked at the second customer.

"Mr. Meyer, the overall design of the aircraft carrier for your navy is the same as that for the Algerian Navy. However, since this aircraft carrier will be built in the shipyard in Rainbow, some weapons and equipment produced by your side can be installed during the construction process. I wonder what your requirements are?"

Different customers require different sales plans. The Rainbow Nation was once a developed country. Although it has now returned to the ranks of developing countries, it still has many advanced weapons, so they can be left to their own devices.

Mayer, the representative sent by Rainbow Country, was not polite and immediately put forward a request: "Mr. Qin, we hope that this aircraft carrier can carry our own carrier-based aircraft."

"You made your own plane?" Qin Tao was very curious: "What kind of plane?"

Qin Tao thought of many projects in his mind, such as the Mirage 3 that Rainbow Country improved with the help of the David people, turning it into a long nose, and the fighter jets that Rainbow Country developed on its own, with the help of a large number of Dassault technicians. However... these planes could not be put on aircraft carriers.

"AHRLAC," said Meyer. "This is the first aircraft designed by Africans. It is also the first fixed-wing military aircraft independently developed by our Rainbow Nation."

Qin Tao shook his head and still didn't know.

So, Mayer took out a USB drive and said, "Mr. Qin, you can plug it into your computer and play it."

Qin Tao nodded: "Okay, plug it into the projector."

If you plug it directly into a computer, there might be a virus or some special program inside. But this projector is different. The inside is all pure hardware, and the software is directly embedded in it, so any virus will be useless.

An introduction to an airplane appeared on the projector. When Qin Tao saw it for the first time, he almost blurted out: Harpy?
The appearance is very similar to the David's Harpy drone. The streamlined nose is the main body of the entire aircraft. Behind the nose are two long sticks connected to the rear tail. The reason there are two sticks is because there is a propeller in the middle.

The straight wing is inserted behind the nose, it is a high-wing with no sweep angle. This aircraft is just a Hobbit drone. However, there seems to be a cockpit in the nose, and it is a two-person cockpit with a low front and a high back.

"The full name of this aircraft is the Advanced High-Performance Reconnaissance and Surveillance Light Aircraft." Meyer introduced: "It was developed by Paramount Group, a military giant in our Rainbow Country. It adopts a tandem two-seat layout. Behind the two pilots is a PT6A-66B engine that drives a three-blade propeller. We placed the propeller at the back to provide the best field of view for the pilot in front, especially when using night vision goggles, so as not to cause dizziness..."

Qin Tao was so shocked that he was speechless. Is this the advanced aircraft developed by your Rainbow Country? This is simply a toy. What's the use of it?

"We know that many countries in the world do not have the money to purchase regular fighter jets, but they need cheap aircraft to perform missions, such as intelligence surveillance, armed patrols, counter-insurgency, anti-smuggling, anti-poaching and disaster relief. Our aircraft is their best choice," Meyer continued.

(End of this chapter)