Chapter 312 Purchase Warship_2
But in reality, when you actually set foot on a warship, it immediately gives you an immersive and shocking feeling.
Over a hundred meters long, with a sleek trimaran hull, the massive landing deck can accommodate hundreds of people, just like a basketball court - it's truly gigantic!
At first glance, it looks like a moving tank fortress on the sea surface, with crisp lines at the front and a flat, shovel-like rear.
What is industrial scrap, what is outdated?
Who says this battle ship is junk? This battle ship is excellent!
Take a look at this MK110 type 57mm stealth naval gun, produced by Spanish Izar shipyard equipped with Dona naval gunfire control system. It also has a bottom-mounted unguided missile launcher capable of firing precise attack missiles with a range of 22 nautical miles.
Two 30mm naval guns and one RIM-116 RAM anti-ship missile defense system, although not very useful.
MK48 Universal Vertical Launch System, capable of launching NATO-modernized Sea Sparrow surface-to-air missiles and Asroc Anti-submarine Missiles.
Moreover, Independence-class can additionally install anti-ship missiles based on mission requirements, and can also carry 2 MH-60R/S Seahawk helicopters or 1 Seahawk helicopter, 3 MQ-8B Fire Scout UAVs, or a single CH-53 Sea Stallion helicopter.
Or 2 Black Hawk helicopters, Kingfisher II Armed Unmanned Aerial Vehicles, unmanned surface/subsurface vessels.
Listening to the female manager's introduction, Allen Zhang was also stirred with enthusiasm, but still calmly asked, "For a deactivated Coastal Combat Ship like this one, if it's really as you described, with all the weapon systems included but without helicopters and drones, how much would it cost to buy?"
"Our Coastal Combat Ship, the standard model configuration is not scarce, and infrastructure is fully equipped, weapons and missiles may need to be purchased additionally from arms companies or military commissioned orders, our sale price is set around 8 million to 12 million US dollars," Darcy said.
"The price is too high, for a Coastal Combat Ship like this, even with complete equipment, it's only worth 5.5 million US dollars in the second-hand market, at most 6 million US dollars. Even for an exported brand new Coastal Combat Ship, and even if it comes with a Seahawk helicopter and a reconnaissance drone, the price wouldn't reach 10 million US dollars."
Qibatu suddenly interjected, his analytical prowess and keen observations activated from the moment he boarded the ship. To others, only the integrated exterior architecture and advantages of the warship are visible, and they were only introduced to the ship's excellent performance, seldom mentioning its drawbacks. But not to his eyes!
Just like selling used cars, car dealers will certainly not mention what parts they've replaced or any issues they've had. They'd just say original manufacturer, acceleration per hundred kilometers, equipped with airbags and complete insurance procedures, durable and tough. But such tricks are transparent to a professional ground maintenance sheet metal worker!
He just needs to touch the aluminum skin, take an extra look at the fitting gaps in the corners, and he can tell which parts are originally painted and which are replaced later.
"This Coastal Combat Ship must have encountered issues during training, causing its carbon fiber composite absorption materials to be recoated later, undoubtedly affecting its overall stealth performance. The stern hatch and a dual-tail pontoon lift arm, which can carry, deploy, and recover small boats, underwater sensors, and various unmanned navigators, also appear to have not been maintained for a long time, requiring us to overhaul them after purchase. This will also require a significant financial investment."
Qibatu detailed his observations, "However, the engine seems to have no issues, if there were, causing the battle ship to fail to start or affect its speed, then it would have been directly listed as scrap."
Manager Darcy, surprised by his understanding of the Coastal Combat Ship, immediately said, "I didn't expect you to be so knowledgeable about this battle ship, sir, what you said is true – the reason for the ship's decommissioning is not only strategic misalignment with naval requirements, but also due to the ship's own issues. This Coastal Combat Ship indeed cannot be considered as seventy percent new, but purchasing a decommissioned ship inherently means not expecting too much from it; we are also selling it according to second-hand decommissioned ship market prices."
"Decommissioned ships indeed need maintenance, but buying them and finding professionals to adjust doesn't have to cost too much. Did this gentleman previously serve as a logistic technician in the navy?"
"I'm just a common ground staff with a little knowledge about military manufacturing," Qibatu humbly said.
"Since you have such a good understanding of this Coastal Combat Ship and are interested in purchasing it, you probably don't mind its flaws. We can offer a reasonable price, other arms companies are selling the same model for 5.5 million US dollars, including two sea-speed boats and small ships, with two spare munitions and missiles. We have already sold two Coastal Combat Ships in this standard package."
"If you require a Seahawk helicopter and reconnaissance drone with it, that would require an additional 2 million US dollars, which brings the value-add package fee to 7.5 million US dollars," Manager Darcy stated.
"We currently don't need the Seahawk helicopter or other reconnaissance drones, we can provide one or two Black Hawk helicopters ourselves. Later weapon purchases will also be progressively supplemented according to needs. Right now, we only need to buy this standard model ship."