Reborn in Hong Kong: The Tycoon Grows Up

The CIA knows very well what kind of character Colonel Ka is; once Libya is re-armed, he will not be obedient. The Soviet Union may not be able to control it. The most it can do is condemn it and put some pressure from other aspects. But as long as the French are not stupid or crazy, they will never disobey the United States. This is a point of confidence!

Seeing the US ambassador leave with a satisfied smile, Dassault II knew that things would probably not go according to his wishes. You must know that Americans have never been lenient in imposing sanctions on Libya; even if they suffered heavy losses, they still spared no effort.

The U.S. ambassador came sooner or later; he came to meet with President Mitterrand only after members of the Libyan delegation landed, making it clear that he did not want Dassault to sell fighter jets to Libya.

Americans are so overbearing, they won't sell; neither will other countries. But whoever makes someone too powerful? From the expression of the US ambassador, it is easy to analyze that the president is likely to make a compromise.

Things are indeed difficult to handle, but no matter what, we must try our best to fight for it.

With the Soviet Union fully liberalizing fighter export restrictions, and the emerging force of the Black Cloud Group; of course, France did not complete the contract during the first Falklands War; and leaked the interference frequency of the Exocet missile to the United Kingdom. As a result, French weapons have not been recognized in the international market recently.

After finally getting a big customer, he still wanted to look at the Americans and refuse to let him live.

Seeing Dassault II, Mitterrand already guessed what the Libyans were planning to do. The number of fighter jets purchased depends on the posture, otherwise Dassault II would not be in such a hurry.

Mitterrand said very seriously: "The Libyans are coming over to prepare how many planes they want to buy."

Operation Golden Canyon has basically destroyed the Libyan Air Force, and after so many years of sanctions, the air force commanded by Colonel Ka can be said to exist in name only. International oil prices have been rising in recent years, and Libya's domestic population is not large; its economy is growing rapidly.

Combined with Colonel Ka's character, it is natural to want to re-arm the Air Force. France is the sovereign state of Libya, and Dassault is a world-renowned fighter aircraft manufacturer; it is normal for them to come over to discuss business as soon as possible.

The deal is likely to fail, but Mitterrand also wants to know how much Dassault will lose in order to appease the United States. These must be recorded and can be used as bargaining chips in future negotiations.

Maybe Americans don’t necessarily like this, but it’s better than nothing!

Dassault II was ecstatic when he heard the president directly ask the Libyans how many fighter planes they planned to order. Could it be that Mitterrand was preparing to harden the United States? Isn't it impossible?

It can only be said that Dassault II has experienced too few things and is too idealistic! I don’t know how I would feel if I knew that Mitterrand had decided to sacrifice Dassault as a bargaining chip in future negotiations.

Dassault II said with a serious expression: "This time, Colonel Ka's eldest son Mohammed personally led the team here, which can be said to be full of sincerity; we are preparing to order 120 Rafale fighter jets, with a total amount of 6 billion US dollars!"

Hearing this, Mitterrand also felt incredible; everyone knew that Colonel Card was a crazy person, but they never expected that 120 fighter jets would be ordered at one time.

Perhaps he was afraid of being bombed, and he was even more hurt by being beaten; no wonder Dassault II came over in person.

As a president who has been in office for more than ten years, he knows somewhat about the purchase price of French Air Force fighter jets.

Seeing Mitterrand in deep thought, Dassault II decided to add fuel to the fire; he continued: "This time the Libyans are bound to win, and there is no counter-offer at all; if Dassault cannot achieve the set goals, they will definitely find someone to Other sellers. The next stop must be the Soviet Union, and we have to guard against many things."

France is one of the five permanent members of the United Nations, but it does not have much of a presence. Even though it has withdrawn from NATO, there are no troops from other countries stationed in its territory. It is basically self-sufficient in weapons and equipment, so it stands to reason that it should have strong autonomy! But between countries, interests have always come first; many times they have to rely on the United States and NATO.

Otherwise, once the Soviets come over, France alone will definitely not be able to withstand it!

Mitterrand seemed to have made an extremely difficult decision. He thought for a while and then said: "You should have seen the U.S. Ambassador coming here just now."

"The purpose is very simple. France must not provide any weapons and equipment to Libya; fighter planes are even more unthinkable. The Libyan Air Force has been completely destroyed, and it is impossible to re-establish it based on its own industrial strength alone."

"Selling fighter jets to Libya at this time will make all previous efforts in vain; the Americans cannot afford such a big loss. Dassault must consider the overall situation, I hope you can understand!"

Although I had guessed it a long time ago, when President Mitterrand said it himself, he was still very angry inside!

When setting up a military industrial enterprise, strong national defense is only one aspect; earning profits is equally important.

If there is no profit support, where will the funds be used for the research and development of new weapons and new technologies? International competition is very fierce, and Dassault does not have any advantage. After losing this order from Libya, it is very likely to become a third-rate military industrial enterprise!

As France's most important fighter aircraft manufacturer, once it loses its advantage, it means that France's weapons and equipment lose its advantage. Modern war cannot be won by bravery alone. The performance of weapons and equipment accounts for a gradually increasing proportion.

By then, let alone fighting against the Soviet Union, it is estimated that the surrounding small countries will not take you seriously.

Forging iron requires one's own hardness, such a superficial truth; didn't Mitterrand understand it at all?

Dassault II said with a serious expression: "Your Excellency, the United States is indeed right to impose sanctions on Libya. After all, Colonel Ka has harmed the interests of the United States."

"Another key point is that the United States does not directly import oil from Libya; Saudi Arabia and Kuwait are both under its control. Coupled with the country's abundant oil reserves, there is no need to worry about oil issues at all!"

"But France cannot. It can even be said that it is inseparable from Libya. Once it loses Libya as a stable oil supplier, France will inevitably fall into an oil crisis."

"And the possibility of this happening is very high. Once Colonel Ka is rejected, given the extreme character of the opponent, he will probably do anything. If France wants to directly send troops to intervene, it doesn't matter whether it has the strength to fight; the most important thing is that the division will be unknown."

"Another point is that during the last Falklands War, the Aerospace Corporation directly leaked the interference frequency of the Exocet missile to the United Kingdom and refused to execute follow-up orders from Argentina. In addition, the government pressured Dassault and was unable to deliver fighter jets to the Argentine Air Force; this caused the French arms dealers to International credit plummeted."

"Countries that were previously prepared to purchase legal weapons have begun to turn to the Soviet Union and the Black Cloud Group; it is normal for the British to spend money in war, and France's losses may not be much less than theirs!"

"When war breaks out in other countries, France should benefit; but in the end, not only did it get nothing, but it also ended up in disgrace."

"If I don't laugh at you, Dassault can only barely survive at present; there is no extra funds for new product research and development."

"At present, legal weapons still occupy the mainstream market; although they are inferior to those of the United States and the Soviet Union, there are no political conditions attached; there are still some customers who will recognize them!"

"However, weapons and equipment are updated very quickly. Once we fall behind too much, it will be extremely difficult to catch up, and it also means losing customers. After all, who would buy outdated products when there are better options."

"It's OK to say that civilian products can only be used for a while, but weapons and equipment are related to human lives, and no matter which country they are, they will take them extremely seriously."

Mitterrand was lost in thought, as Dassault II said; France should not join in the fun.

As long as Colonel Ka can act responsibly and not try to cause trouble for France; the rest seems to be no big deal.

As for international oil prices, they are not that low; as long as the Libyans are smart enough, they will never charge France too harshly. When thinking of the United States and the Soviet Union, Mitterrand had to make some decisions against his will.

Mitterrand: "What Mr. Dassault said makes sense, but France has no other choice at the moment."

"Many things depend on the United States. At least there can be no stalemate yet; I hope you can understand. For France, the Dassault family must make sacrifices."

Dassault II was extremely depressed when he heard that Mitterrand would not let go; but the president had already spoken and could only implement it unconditionally.

The company was clearly in trouble, and at the same time, it had already arrived at a radical solution; but it could not be implemented, and Dassault II did not explode; which is already very rare.

Mitterrand could only keep comforting him, but he didn't know what to say.

Dassault II said helplessly: "When will this kind of day end? Will France really have to be driven to a dead end to wake up!"