What the hell is a private enterprise?

Chapter 513 The Unexpected Market (2800 Monthly Tickets in June)

After a remote-controlled target drone, also modified from an F100, took off, an F111 serving as the main unit and an unmanned version of the F100 also took off.

The unmanned F100 wingman first descended to an altitude of 10 to 15 meters, appearing to be flying almost close to the desert, demonstrating its low-altitude cruise capability before pulling up to regroup with the F111.

After circling at low altitude, Wayne saw the F100 wingman launch a missile that accurately hit the target drone.

The F111 and the unmanned F100 then landed safely, with no apparent problems.

The suspicious Wayne approached the F111 and saw a bunch of electronic devices in front of the co-pilot's weapons officer.

Seeing this, the operator didn't hide anything and answered honestly:
"I was just controlling that F100 to keep it in formation, and I was also the one who gave the attack order."

"So, General Atoms put drone operators in the co-pilot positions of fighter jets?"

Wayne immediately understood and suspected that Richie was trying to fool him, but the latter quickly explained:
"Your Excellency, to achieve A-to-B guidance and formation flight, it is necessary for unmanned wingmen and the main unit to communicate via data link, which requires upgrading the electronic systems of existing F-15, F-16 and other fighter jets."

This project requires a lot of time and effort, as well as cooperation from other companies, so for now, the two-pilot F111 will be used for the demonstration. If the Air Force provides support, you will soon see unmanned wingmen that can be easily controlled by a single pilot.

"How soon is soon?"

"The first fully-fledged demonstrator will definitely be successfully developed within this year."

"How much does it cost to modify an aircraft?"

"Upgrading the existing F-15s and F-16s is relatively simple. They were designed with data link interoperability in mind, and it only costs $200 million plus some minor upgrades. However, the wingman system requires a completely new custom electronic system and the refurbishment of older aircraft. The price per aircraft is... around $400 million."

Wayne immediately began to calculate:
“One fighter jet with four wingmen costs $18 million… I can immediately give you $10 million to expand the research. Once the full-scale testing is completed, the Air Force will need at least 200 of these unmanned wingmen!”

就算1架F100携带4枚导弹，4架僚机就是多了16枚导弹能够多干掉8架敌机。

At that time, Guyana will deploy 140 fighter jets instead of 28, which would be equivalent to 70 ordinary fighter jets even if the combat power is halved.

The combat power of a fighter jet can be increased several times, and it only costs less than $2000 million more. It's incredibly cost-effective!

"Sorry, we can only support a maximum of one fighter jet with one wingman at this time."

Richie was forced to offer an awkward explanation, and when Wayne pressed him for details, his response was that it "involved emerging AI technology."

In reality, the unmanned F100 is only slightly more advanced than the MQ1 Predator currently under research. It lacks any of the AI ​​intelligence exhibited by unmanned mosquito fly gnats and still requires pilots to make corrections from time to time.

A fighter pilot's energy is only enough to take care of one wingman at most; he can't manage any more than that.

The purpose was to help pilots in combat, but in reality, it also brought more burden to the pilots.

The control of multiple wingmen can only be determined by the drones themselves, such as the formation distance and whether to enter the attack position. This requires the assistance of artificial intelligence, which is a concept that has only recently emerged, and is still far from being realized.

To prevent Wayne from questioning further, Richie added:
"If we need unmanned wingmen to make autonomous decisions, then it will take us three or even five years, not three months, to deliver the actual equipment to the Air Force."

"Ok."

Wayne could only console himself, after all, compared to the magical technologies such as brainwashing, cloning, wormhole teleportation, and 70-knot destroyers, General Atomics had already done a pretty good job of managing to produce unmanned combat aircraft.

...Mu Nihei, BMW Headquarters
Zhao Hande is about to leave Europe, where he has negotiated almost all the expected agreements and contracts. His last stop is the United States.

Judging by the time, it wouldn't be long after he arrived that Tang Wen would also arrive, just in time to conquer the business world once again.

However, before leaving, Zhao Hande requested a private visit to BMW Hans BMW, which was granted smoothly and he was welcomed.

Tang Wen's talk about tank economics was ridiculous, and the rest of the delegation frowned and remained silent, but it kept lingering in his mind these days, so he decided to leave and give it a try.

After all, the prospect of getting BMW to contribute both money and technology without spending a single penny is too tempting to refuse.

As is customary, BMW's board members showed him around the assembly plant and technology center, displaying various racing cars, high-performance engines, and production lines before the two sides went into a small room to prepare for in-depth discussions.

Zhao Hande, who was doing this kind of freebie deal for the first time, felt ashamed and like a swindler, but surprisingly, one of the other party took the initiative to speak:
"Dear Zhao, you've come here for the joint venture factory between Gaijin and BMW, haven't you?"

"Uh, yes, yes. I just came to find out."

He recognized the other person as Joshaim, the vice president of the Far East region, and heard him eagerly continue:
"BMW and the Muni black market both support this cooperation. As far as we know, Tang is a good friend of yours, so we can tell you now that the board of directors has agreed to provide a loan to the joint venture to build a new factory and send technical guidance to help produce high-quality BMW cars in Dongda."

"??"

Zhao Hande was completely bewildered. Why was Hans so eager to agree to Tang Wen's excessive demands before he even asked?

However, what he didn't know was that Joshaim and the other directors were also very anxious:

The Hanma S9 has officially been launched and is now on sale. Although specific sales figures have not been released, the entire country is scrambling to buy this car.

The groundbreaking advertising and high-end positioning are only one aspect; the majority of buyers of this car are car dealerships in other regions!
After purchasing the Hanma S9, they immediately removed the grille and steering wheel, and with a few minor modifications, they were able to transform it into a flawless, identical 7 Series luxury car in appearance and even performance.

Let alone ordinary people, even mechanics can't feel any difference when they lift the chassis.

Thus, the 40 yuan Hanma S9 was transformed into a million-yuan luxury car.

Moreover, this is not a scam; the buyers are fully aware of it, and some even buy it specifically because of this.

Given the current domestic economy, the Xiali is roughly equivalent to the future 3 Series, the Santana is roughly equivalent to the future 7 Series, and the genuine 7 Series has already reached the level of those who will drive a Rolls-Royce in the future.

一辆桑塔纳20多万，进口大贸7系160多万，“国产”7系40万，直接让原来很多买得起桑塔纳的人咬咬牙直接选择汉马S9。

As a result, the Hanma S9 carved out an unimaginable market, and instead of being deserted due to its high price, it was met with a surge in orders.

By the time BMW officially realized this problem, imported BMWs were no longer selling well, since an imported 3 Series now costs more than 40 yuan.

The import car business in the coastal areas has also been affected. In the past, new cars were snapped up as soon as they arrived at the port, but now buyers are even more picky, otherwise they will buy the domestically produced Hanma S9 with the original factory warranty.

Without even needing to cover it up and continue "copying," the Hans S9 almost blocked the road.

BMW is eyeing the vast Chinese market, but if the Hanma S9 gets there first, consumers might be indifferent by the time they enter the market.

If it weren't for the need to maintain a certain demeanor, Joshua would have loved to take the initiative to find Tang Wen.

Now that's good, Zhao Hande is at least someone with the authority to make decisions, so let's hurry up and finalize the cooperation!
(End of this chapter)