Chapter 1009: Sickle Brigade

"Your plan excites us, but Eric, you have to know that participating in the development of a civil airliner from scratch is a huge and long-term investment. We all need to report to our respective boards of directors. So, Hook and I I’m afraid we will not be able to give you an immediate answer on whether to participate in this project. I think we all need some time.
After thinking for a long time, Little Hawke gave an ambiguous answer.
Before weighing the pros and cons, he thought it was better not to make a decision rashly. Sir Hook also agreed with this answer. Obviously, he also believes that the decision to agree or disagree at this moment is unwise.
This answer, of course, cannot satisfy Tan Zhenhua. Both Little Hawke and Hooker saw the slightly disappointed expression on Tan Zhenhua’s face, which also made them lose interest in continuing to pursue Tan Zhenhua’s half-way interception of Hu Haosha’s military purchase order. Interesting-in fact, they have confirmed with Haosha in advance that they will not reduce the deal with Britain because of the purchase of these aircraft from China. The reason for putting pressure on Tan Zhenhua is just to warn him and let him At this point, you can't stretch your hands too long.
"Eric, since the misunderstanding has been resolved, and you did come with great sincerity to make up for our losses, although we cannot give you an answer for the time being, the "Yemamai" matter Let’s stop here." Little Hawke felt that the heat was almost over, and the friendship with Tan Zhenhua also needed to be maintained, so he automatically gave the steps, and he laughed: "And you just happened to be here, the first one between us. The contract, those 12 Sea Harriers will be delivered today, Eric, don’t you want to visit it?"
Since the other party has changed the subject, Tan Zhenhua also said: "Yes, I know, this is actually one of the purposes of my coming today. To be honest, I have been waiting for these planes for a long time, Mr. Hawke, originally you should have been there at the end of last year. Deliver these planes to me."
Little Hawke shrugged his shoulders and said: "In our industry, it is understandable that only three months have been delayed? Because Eric, your requirements are quite different from our standard ex-factory fighter configuration. Many The test work needs to be done again, and these tests have delayed a lot of time-well Eric, if you just want me to apologize to you, then, sorry."
Tan Zhenhua smiled and said: "Okay, Mr. Hawke, you should know that I don't care about this little thing too much. Now, let's take a look at those planes."
...
What Tan Zhenhua didn’t expect was that the team sent by the Pakistan Railways to receive these planes was led by Brigadier General Mohamed Ahmed Alam, which made him very excited—without him. , The fame of the brigadier general is too great.
Brigadier Alam has 1 in 50 this year, and the battle that made him famous took place 21 years ago. In 1965, in the Second India-Pakistan War, he had just turned 30 as the commander of the 11th Squadron and Air Force Major of the Pakistan Railway Air Force. It was the peak moment of vigor, experience and energy. During the battle, he drove an F-86 Sabre fighter jet and shot down four Indy jets in a row within one minute, and later shot down the fifth one. This jaw-dropping record has not been broken yet, God Mu also won the "Star of Courage" medal.
Shooting down 5 fighters is the entry standard for what can be called "ace pilots" in the jet age, and Alam reached this standard in just one day and an air battle. Therefore, his record became the only one in the jet age. 1st Ace".
For this reason, Alam was regarded as a national hero by Pakistani Railways, and his name was listed at the top of the list of the Karachi Pakistani Air Force Museum Hall of Fame.
Although Mahmoud was unable to come for some reason, the fact that Pakistan could send such a person to receive the planes also fully demonstrated their importance to this matter. Tan Zhenhua was very grateful, so he held this The hand of the legendary air combat hero was unwilling to let go for a long time, until Alam introduced him to his colleagues.
"This is Major Mohamed Yusuf Chaudhry. He will serve as the commander of this team." Brigadier General Alam first introduced Tan Zhenhua to an officer who was about 40 years old, not tall but dark and sturdy: " Major Chowder is an experienced pilot. Before coming here, he had 2000 hours of flying experience, and he had the ability to fly the Mirage 3 and J-6 fighter jets. He has a firm belief and is trustworthy."
"Welcome, Major Chowder." Tan Zhenhua said enthusiastically, holding the soldier's hand: "I believe that under your leadership, the "Sickle" Brigade will soon become capable of combat."
"I am willing to help you, Mr. Eric, and thank you for your contribution to our Pakistani railway. Please rest assured that the boys I brought are the best."
After meeting with the pilots and ground crews sent by the Pakistan Railway to receive the fighter planes one by one, Tan Zhenhua finally let go of a worry-you know, in the agreement he reached through Mahmoud and Pakistan Railway, in addition to serving this time The rest of the people except Brigadier General Alam, the leader of the team, are about to take off their military uniforms and change their identities to become the so-called "mercenaries" and become the armed forces in the hands of his Master Tan Er!
The pick-up ceremony was simple and solemn. Twelve "Sea Harrier" fighters were neatly parked on the apron, majestic and full of aura. At the request of Tan Zhenhua, these planes have adopted special paintings: silver-white fuselage and green radome, and a large sickle is sprayed on the tail wing, which represents the special identity of this team— -Belongs to Tan Zhenhua's "Sickle Brigade".
It is said that Hawke has been complaining about the painting of this aircraft, especially the green radome, for a long time, and thinks this is too earthy, but the customer's request is like this, Tan Zhenhua actually said plausibly: "Where did it come from? Combat power..."
The pilots and ground crews from the Pakistan Railway actually came to Britain half a year ago and conducted training on flying the "Sea Harrier" fighter aircraft. Under the guidance of the British instructors, they have fully mastered the basic tactical performance and maintenance of this aircraft. Next, they need to explore the various tactical combinations suitable for this particular fighter, and this work is obviously not suitable for Britain.
Fortunately, Mahmoud has already prepared everything for this. The twelve aircraft will be shipped soon. The destination is Karachi Port, the largest port of the Pakistan Railway, and will be stationed at the Raleigh military base nearby. To welcome the arrival of this special force, all preparations have been made-special hangars, maintenance sites, spare parts and weapons storage warehouses, sufficient fuel supply... In addition to the slightly special uniforms of this force, the Nothing is different in the rest of the air force's frontline units.
"This is probably the only private fighter group in the world today. What exactly does Eric want to do with this unit?"
When the roll-on-roll freighter carrying the twelve fighters slowly set sail towards the destination, this question suddenly appeared in everyone's minds.