Chapter 255 Two unfinished modern-class ships

That Fedeko-class ship is just a shell with no equipment on it. For a comprehensive supply ship, the equipment on it is even more important.

These were not produced at Ermao Factory, but at Damao. Qin Tao had already secured the two ships and the related equipment had to be purchased.

This is not only to provide the navy with advanced comprehensive supply ships, but also to allow Mingzhou Shipyard to master relevant technologies. Siam already has an aircraft carrier, so it will definitely need large comprehensive supply ships! Qin Tao must make this deal.

"Okay, I'll wait for you in the Far East and ask Zaitsev to follow you and help you." Nikolai said.

 Northwest of Damao, St. Petersburg.

This name was just changed. The previous title of great man has disappeared, and the city has also undergone earth-shaking changes.

 Northern Shipyard.

An old man was sitting on the boat platform, holding a bottle of wine in his hand and pouring the wine down his throat.

“Lev, don’t drink all the wine. We bought this together. Quick, put it down quickly!”

 Lao Maozi on the side saw Lev looking like he was finishing the drink in one gulp, and was very anxious. He simply snatched it from his hand, and then pointed the bottle at his mouth.

　　"Yasi, that's enough, it's mine next!" Before he could get enough of it, the wine bottle was snatched away.

 Soon, four or five people drank all the bottle of wine.

 They are not satisfied, but there is nothing they can do.

“Damn shock therapy, three months ago, this bottle of wine only cost half a ruble, but now we have to spend a hundred rubles to buy it!” Lev looked at the empty bottle with anger on his face.

　　When the careerists began to take control of Mao's power, a new reform also began. This reform was initiated by a fool named Gaidar. This kind of reform was definitely bold enough compared to the Map period.

 As the first step, they liberalized commodity prices, including 90% of consumer goods and 80% of means of production. At the same time, their wages nearly doubled.

 The wages of ordinary workers like Lev and Yasi have also increased to more than 500 rupees. In the past, this was simply unimaginable.

 At that time, they were looking forward to a new life with their yearning for a better life.

In the first few months, this operation has begun to bear fruit. Their department stores have a wide variety of products, and there is no need to queue up anymore!

 With money on hand and goods on the market, a better life is already beckoning to them!

 However, the good life lasted less than a month. Soon, the prices in the market were completely out of control, rising like a rocket.

 Even if their wages doubled, they would not be able to adapt to the new situation at all, because prices have increased tenfold or a hundredfold.

 Lao Maozi, who loves drinking, has no money to drink. These ordinary workers are greedy, so they can only get together with a few people, buy a bottle, and share the drink.

 The wine had been drunk and their appetite had not yet been satiated. At this time, they sat on the slipway and looked around.

Although the big sign of the factory has been replaced by Northern Shipyard, and the slogans inside the factory have also been painted over in an attempt to erase the traces of the Red Empire, they can still see the propaganda slogans inside.

Long live the Zhdanov Shipyard!

 190 Shipyard, our home!

 Celebrating the start of construction of the 23rd Type 956 destroyer!

Before the collapse of the Red Empire, they were the 190th Danov shipyard, how glorious it was at that time!

The slipway was busy without stopping. They started working on many warships one after another, including 4 Kenda-class ships, 4 Kresta I-class ships, 10 Kresta II-class cruisers, and 5 Cassin-class ships. …

What now?

Take the Type 956 modern class as an example. They have started construction of 23 ships, of which the construction work of 14 has been completed. There are also three more completed ships, "Uneasy", "Perseverance" and "Fearless". The sea trials have begun. It is said that the superiors are seeking funds and hope to complete all the construction work. As for the two warships in the outfitting stage with a relatively high degree of completion, the prospects are already very bleak.

“The wages have been paid, the wages have been paid, go and get your wages! It is said that this time the wages have been increased by another 20%!” someone shouted.

So, everyone jumped up from the slipway and rushed to the location of the payroll department. They quickly collected their wages and then bought them for daily necessities, because there was no telling how prices would rise in the next month!

When Qin Tao and Zaitsev walked into the shipyard, what they saw was such a lively scene. Countless workers poured into a small building from all directions. This scene was so spectacular, it was just like the old man of later generations. It’s like an old lady getting free eggs.

“What are you doing?” Qin Tao asked Zhirkov, the shipyard sales representative who came to greet him.

 “Get paid,” said Zhirkov.

“Well, only those who receive wages can have such a spectacular scene. How does their salary compare with before?” Qin Tao asked knowingly.

 “The wages are rising every month,” Zhirkov said.

“It’s rising every month? It seems like your life is good.” Qin Tao said.

“What’s good is that wages are rising, and so are daily necessities, and the rises are even more outrageous.” Zhirkov said that even though he was already a middle-level employee in the factory, he still could not live a decent life.

“I don’t know when the ruble will become waste paper. I heard that Moscow is constantly printing money to pay our workers, but...” Zhirkov’s assistant Arshavin said.

 Other countries after the separation cannot pay wages, and life is very tight. They are not rich. They can pay wages, but what is the use? Their wages are nothing more than waste paper, and their purchasing power is simply incomparable to what it was before!

“I heard that each of you received ten thousand rubles in privatization securities?”

"Humph, what's ten thousand rubles? Last month, I sold it for eight hundred rubles and bought some daily necessities." Zhirkov said: "Thanks to the early sale, if this month, I could only sell three hundred rubles." One hundred rubles!”

“That’s right, the only thing that is strong now is the US dollar, our ruble…”

The two of them sighed and walked inside with Qin Tao and Zaitsev, only to see Qin Tao pull out two U.S. dollar bills like a magic trick: "You two, this is a small meeting gift, be sure to accept it."

 In the past, when giving gifts, you had to rack your brains and think of all kinds of fancy-looking things. Now you don’t have to. Now you just need to send US dollars.

Sure enough, the two of them saw a hundred U.S. dollars, which made them excited. They looked around warily, and then stuffed the money into their pockets.

"Qin, you are so polite. By the way, we have ready-made gantry racks for the supply ships you need. Our factory is responsible for manufacturing related equipment for Fedeko-class large supply ships. It is fully matched. You can You can buy it at any time." Zhirkov was very polite.

Although the Northern Shipyard did not manufacture supply ships, it did build related equipment, because their shipyard has large-scale equipment that can complete the production of huge gantry and other equipment. After all, after the separation, the Northern Shipyard was very big. The only factory that has the potential to re-manufacture aircraft carriers and build some large-scale equipment for supply ships has no problem.

Although the Black Sea Shipyard is right next to the Kherson Shipyard, the Black Sea Shipyard is busy and cannot spare time, so the task falls here.

Qin Tao nodded: "Well, these related equipment are useless to you. In terms of price..."

"In terms of price, you will definitely be satisfied. We can sell these equipment to you and then write a report." Zhirkov said.

“What’s the price of scrap iron?” Qin Tao said casually.

 “Sure, scrap iron price.” Zhirkov nodded.

 Just a hundred US dollars in benefits allowed Zhirkov to sell off unimportant factory assets at a low price!

 Qin Tao felt happy. Using the US dollar to pave the way will always lead to disadvantages. It would be great if the RMB can also have this effect in the future!

 After completing the purchase of equipment related to the comprehensive supply ship, Qin Tao looked at the slipway again: "It seems that the project you are under construction is also progressing slowly."

“Yes, our construction is still at a standstill. All resources are prioritized to ensure the three Type 956s in the sea trial stage. The others can only be temporarily postponed.”

 “Can I go and have a look?”

"certainly."

At the outfitting dock, two modern-class destroyers with a high degree of completion are waiting for an unknown fate. Not far away, on the slipway, there is also a modern-class destroyer that is building the hull and then stopping work. The front end of the ship's bow was painted with the marks 878 and 879 respectively, but it seemed that it had gone through a long time, and the hull even looked a little rusty.

“The two ships, the Important Ship and the Zhouquan Ship, are 80% completed. As long as there are follow-up funds, the construction can be completed.” Zhirkov introduced to Qin Tao.

"Ahem, ahem, section chief, you remembered wrongly. Now they are called Yekaterinburg and Alexander Nevsky respectively." The assistant Arshavin on the side corrected.

After the collapse of the Red Empire, many names were changed, whether it was cities or warships, in order to erase the memory of that era.

Zhirkov showed a wry smile: "Yes, the name has been changed, but I can't remember these two names. Come on, please come up and take a look."

This was not the first time Qin Tao stepped onto the modern-class class, but this time his feelings were different from before. The previous modern-class class belonged to Lao Maozi, and now the warship under his feet will cross the ocean and sail to Mingzhou, becoming a member of the Ming Dynasty. The new flagship of the state's naval fleet!

 The two 052s were built for the northern fleet, and the two 051Cs were built to protect the capital. Therefore, these modern warships have no chance with the Mingzhou fleet.

Mingzhou still has to use the ancient 051-class destroyers, waiting for the country's strength to further increase.

They did not wait for a few years before they got the modern class. The two ships that will be completed soon, as well as the two newly started construction, and the four modern class ships, form the new four king kongs of the motherland navy.

 It is not yet certain whether to buy the next two ships, but these two ships must be bought back now, so that by 1996, they can be driven out to show off their muscles.

Thinking of this, Qin Tao's heart was filled with expectations.

 Although various domestic technologies are under pre-research and the results are remarkable, if the navy wants to develop rapidly, it still needs outsourcing.

After all, it takes several years for a new warship to be developed and equipped with troops. Even the 051C, which is under construction in Mingzhou, will take several years to build, conduct sea trials, and test various weapon systems. After that, you can serve.

 The modern class is different. It is completely mature. As long as you have money, you can buy it back at any time.

“Do you have any plans to sell these two warships?” Qin Tao asked.

 Sell these two warships?

Zhirkov and Arshavin both showed incredulous expressions: "Qin, this kind of warship is the main force and backbone of our naval equipment, and Moscow will not agree to export it."

Er Mao has no scruples and dares to sell as long as they pay money, but the situation is different with Da Mao. They need to consider their own military security.

What should I do if the secret of selling this kind of navy's main warship is leaked?

Qin Tao smiled: "This is not a cruiser. The weapons equipped on it are all low-end products. There is nothing that cannot be sold. If you sell it, you can get foreign exchange. You can report it to your superiors. I think Moscow will definitely agree. of."

If it’s the Kirov-class or Glorious-class, Lao Maozi will definitely not sell it. As for the modern-class, the market will open soon.

Shock therapy did not solve the country's economic problems, but made their economy worse. Now they rely on printing money crazily. Domestic inflation and currency depreciation have reached an unbelievable level. The ruble will soon be as strong as The Zimbabwe dollar is comparable.

 Lao Maozi needs hard currency to exchange for foreign exchange. Of course, it is best if low-end products like modern grade can be exported.

Anti-ship missiles only have a range of more than 100 kilometers, and anti-aircraft missiles are only medium-range. What can’t be exported?

What Qin Tao needs to consider is the domestic procurement funds. After all, if he wants to buy back these two ships, he will have to use real foreign exchange. If the price of one ship is US$400 million in history, it will be enough for the navy to have a headache.

However, the headache is not Qin Tao’s headache, he just makes connections. Back then, the country was willing to use its gold reserves in order to buy the Four Diamonds. Now, at worst, it will continue to use gold.

That afternoon, Qin Tao checked into the guest house of the Northern Shipyard. Before he could take a rest and contact the country to talk about the recent situation, someone knocked on the door outside.

"Qin, let me introduce you. This is our factory director Sergei Chemezov, and this is our designer Mishin from the Northern Design Bureau. They want to talk to you." Zhirkov enthusiastically gave Qin Tao introduced the two guests.

The other party came to the door so quickly, it seems that he is very excited about his proposal! Qin Tao thought to himself, extremely happy.

 “Come, please sit down, Zaitsev, and pour coffee for the two guests!”

 The rich aroma of coffee made Chemezov and Mishin very happy. They had not had coffee for a long time. This person from the East was too polite.

"Qin, we have already reported to Moscow. Although they are still discussing it, there should not be a big problem in exporting our Type 956 destroyers in exchange for precious foreign exchange. After all, we can even sell Su-27 , not to mention this kind of mid-range destroyer." Chemezov first said: "Please connect us with the Eastern Navy. If you can sell these two warships that are being outfitted, what will happen to our shipyard? It will be greatly improved.”

It will take some time for Moscow to agree to the sale. However, he believes that given the current economic situation, there is no problem in selling the Hyundai class. He just needs to wait for the president to sign a government document.

"Of course I am very willing to serve." Qin Tao said: "As long as the price is right, after all, our domestic economic capacity cannot support too expensive warships. Moreover, in terms of performance, Type 956 is not advanced. For example, , and it’s still using outdated steam turbines.”

One of the things that is criticized at the modern level is that in an era when gas turbines are very popular, boilers are still used!

"When we were designing, we did plan to use gas turbines. However, the production capacity of the Southern Turbine Manufacturing Plant, which is responsible for manufacturing ship gas turbines, could not keep up, so the Navy Department asked us to modify the power configuration and become the current steam turbine. We also There is a design drawing of the gas turbine version of 956.2, and we can make changes if you need it." It was Mising's turn to explain.

Qin Tao shook his head: "The gas turbine you want, you still have to purchase it from Ermao, right? This will involve a lot of wrangling, we can't afford to wait, let's forget it, the price should be considered according to the price of the steam engine That’s it.”

 The two smiled bitterly, knowing that Qin Tao was right.

 After the separation, the marine gas turbine manufacturing plant remained in Ermao, so that they no longer had the possibility to obtain gas turbines. If they wanted to purchase them, they would face a lot of wrangling and uncertainty.

  What Qin Tao used was the basic method of bargaining.

"Excuse me, do you have any other opinions on these two warships?" Mising asked.

"Of course, there are still opinions. Although this kind of warship can park helicopters, it uses a telescopic hangar, which is close to the back of the chimney. This kind of hangar is very inconvenient and cannot allow ship-borne helicopters to park at all. For maintenance and repairs above, you must modify the design behind it. Even if you remove a naval gun, you must provide sufficient conveniences for the ship-based helicopters."

 This is the second shortcoming of the modern class: most of the time, carrier-based helicopters dock on it occasionally and are not carried for a long time.

 This is also related to the mission of the Sovremenny class. Carrier-based helicopters are anti-submarine, but anti-submarine is an important task of the Dreadnought class. The main mission of the Sovremenny class is anti-ship and air defense, so it is enough to occasionally carry a helicopter.

 However, the motherland’s navy is not good enough. It has two warships with the largest displacement, but it cannot carry helicopters for a long time? This defect must be made up for, even if the gun at the back is removed.

General warships have helicopters at the tail, but the Hyundai-class has a twin 130mm naval gun at the tail. It is said that when it was built, Lao Maozi used it as a fire support ship. .

 However, the configuration of these two naval guns is useless to the motherland navy. They would rather not have the tail guns and arrange the helicopters.

"Okay." Misin nodded and agreed: "Actually, in our design, there is a modification that removes the tail gun, but the removed space is filled with a 16-unit 3C14 missile vertical launcher. Equipped with 3M54 anti-ship missiles with a range of 200 kilometers, it has more powerful anti-ship capabilities. The No. 20 Type 956 Fierce, which is currently being built at 20% progress in the dock, is the first of this solution. If you need it..."

Qin Tao quickly shook his head: "We don't want it, you can keep it for yourself. If it is replaced by a vertically launched anti-aircraft missile, it will be about the same."

Lao Maozi has always liked to go to extremes. He has a special persistence in anti-ship. He actually built a sixteen-unit anti-ship missile vertical launcher!

 What to do?

 Saturation attack on American aircraft carriers? The range is not enough! Attack ordinary surface ships? Aren’t the previous Rizhi anti-ship missiles enough?

 Compared to anti-ship, air defense is the most important!

"According to the Soviet-era plan, professional air defense ships are planned to be modified on the Type 1155 destroyer (Dreadnought class). Therefore, we do not have air defense modifications for the time being. If you need it, we can make changes according to this plan, but , the price may increase..." This guy Chemezov actually learned and used it on the spot and started to trick Qin Tao.

"No, the existing ones are enough." Qin Tao said: "Let's talk about the price. I will bring you a message back to see if the Navy is interested."

price?

 How much is appropriate?

This time it was Chemezov's turn to become nervous: "Well, how about 400 million?"

Hearing this, a smile appeared on Qin Tao's face: "Four hundred million rubles?"

“Of course it’s 400 million US dollars, 400 million US dollars for a boat. 400 million rubles, isn’t that a joke?” Chemezov was no longer worried, that’s the price!

The American Perry-class ships cost hundreds of millions each. They are frigates. A seven- to eight-thousand-ton destroyer like ours costs 400 million, which is very cheap!

"Mr. Chemezov, have you ever heard of the aircraft carrier we built for Siam?" Qin Tao glanced at Chemezov: "That's an aircraft carrier! The contract amount is less than 300 million, and you have one Destroyers actually cost 400 million? You are really joking. With a price of 400 million, we can build two aircraft carriers in China! You are so insincere, how can I dare to bring you a message back? The navy is not allowed to chase me with warships. beat!"

“That’s right, not to mention 400 million for one ship, 400 million for two ships is expensive enough.” Zaitsev agreed from the side. As time went by, he also learned to help Qin Tao negotiate the price.

“Two ships? How is that possible? Moscow will definitely not agree.”

Qin Tao glanced at Chemezov: "If a ship worth 200 million yuan comes with 50 anti-ship missiles, 200 anti-aircraft missiles and thousands of artillery shells, I can also give the navy a message. If it is more expensive, , forget it, just pretend I didn’t say it, I’m in the scrap metal business anyway.”

Chemezov swallowed and said, "We can report this to Moscow."

"By the way, I also want a 20% rebate as a bonus. This is customary. I can't do it in vain."

 Chemezov's face suddenly turned pale.

 Two hundred million per vessel is already a bargain price. Qin Tao still wants 20% of the commission? Then they only got 160 million? Isn’t this too confusing?

 (End of this chapter)