Chapter 1366: International Defense Exhibition
Coro International Airport.
A jet-black aeros.p.a.ce plane dragged along a blue flaming tail as it landed steadily on the airport runway. The hatch opened and the escalator dropped down, Prince Yerif in a white robe walked out and opened his arms with a giant smile.
“Haha, dear Jiang Chen, your plane is amazing! I have never experienced such a quick trip! It only took an hour to get from Mecca to Coro City. I almost thought my pilot read the navigator wrong… In short, it’s unbelievable, I have never seen such a powerful aircraft!”
Yerif was amazed and bewildered.
It was not only because he himself was an avid collector of private jets, but also because he was convinced that, his father, who also shared the same pa.s.sion, would be genuinely amazed by this birthday gift.
“Long-distance travel can better reflect the speed of the G100. If you fly from Mecca to North America, I a.s.sure you will be more amazed.” Jiang Chen smiled and hugged him, took a step back, then said, “Welcome to Coro City.”
From Mecca to Coro City, the G100 likely ascended to the mesosphere, but if the destination was from Mecca to North America on the opposite side of the Earth, the aeros.p.a.ce plane would travel through low-Earth orbit and use the Earth’s rotation to reduce travel time to the extreme.
Based on the field test data of Future Heavy Industries, the time from Coro City International Airport to Was.h.i.+ngton International Airport was also one hour. One of the selling points of the G100 was its ability to reach any place in the world within an hour.
“I will definitely try it!” Yerif laughed.
On the other side of the airport, a white Airbus with the Russian tricolor flag and the Almaz-Antey Group logo also landed on the airport runway. The escalator was attached to the plane, and a group of Russians, all dressed in black suits, stepped down.
When they saw the black G100 parked at the other end of the airport. The Slavic man surrounded by black suits tilted his head slightly, pointed to the plane, and whispered to his a.s.sistant next to him, who was carrying a briefcase.
“How much is that plane?”
The a.s.sistant hesitated for a second, then answered immediately.
“I’ll ask.”
The Slavic man nodded, glanced at another private plane that was landing, and walked towards the special tunnel of the airport.
Almaz-Antey was definitely a renowned name in Russia. Its predecessor was the Russian NPO “Almaz” and the “Antey” Corporation. After the merger in 2002, it became one of the top arms giants in Russia and the world. The S-300 and S-400 air defense missile systems were the pride of the company.
What was the origin of the two companies before the merger? Almaz was known as NPO Almaz, which could be traced back to the First Special Design Bureau of the Soviet Ministry of Weapons and was established by Stalin himself. The second was Antey, which was also an industrial giant from the Soviet era.
In the 1990 privatization era, a large number of economic oligarchs became rich overnight in Russia. In the decades to come, as the regime changed, some old oligarchs went to jail, and new oligarchs appeared. Only one person pa.s.sed through the most difficult two decades for oligarchs in a rather low-key manner. He played the role of an arms giant and hid his ident.i.ty as an oligarch to the end.
“Chemezov.” Chemezov shook Jiang Chen’s right hand and made a concise self-introduction, then nodded slightly to express his friends.h.i.+p to Jiang Chen.
“Jiang Chen.” While Jiang Chen shook his hand, Jiang Chen also nodded and examined Mr. Chemezov.
As in the rumors, Mr. Chemezov didn’t speak much, and his actions were quite low-key. However, his sharp pupils also revealed his dogmatic actions. His st.u.r.dy physique did not give away the fact that he was already over fifty years old. Especially since his 1.80 meters height and defined attributes resembled more of a soldier than an oligarch.
Jiang Chen did not chat with Chemezov for a long time, after a brief greeting, the Slavic man walked to the entrance of the special tunnel to enter his convoy. Jiang Chen also looked to the South Colombia Drug Lord, or rather, President, who was walking towards him with a warm smile.
Unexpectedly, the man who disturbed the calmness in South America and topped the CIB a.s.sa.s.sination list would actually come to this event in person. However, Jiang Chen only thought for a moment before he understood his intention. First of all, Xin was much safer compared to South Colombia, otherwise, Jiang Chen would not be able to live until now.
Behind Timochenko, the president of Hua Aviation Technology Group and representatives from the Hua military were there, and followed by Natasha’s father’s old subordinates that represented the Russian military. Half of the world’s top 30 military arms giants were here, which showcased the status of this defense exhibition.
…
In the morning, representatives of different countries arrived one after another, and the defense exhibition officially started at two in the afternoon.
The defense exhibition would last for a week, and a total of two thousand weapons would be showcased. From automatic rifle accessories to anti-aircraft missiles and even s.p.a.ce weapons, the major military industry giants also did their best to use the hype built up. While they did not expect to win the limelight of Future Military, it was a great choice to win the attention of international buyers as the second-best choice.
In particular, the military-industrial enterprises from Hua and Russia started to hint at the Africa and South America representatives, who felt insecure, from the start of the very start of the exhibition. It was not until the lights were lit on the rostrum in front of the exhibition hall did the guests stop whispering and chatting and focused their attention on the person on the stage.
Jiang Chen walked to the rostrum and adjusted the microphone.
“h.e.l.lo everyone, I’m Jiang Chen.” In the concise opening remarks, Jiang Chen nodded slightly at the camera lenses pointed at him, then glanced around at his invited guests. With a smile, he continued, “First of all, on behalf of the organizer, I welcome everyone who can take time out of their busy schedule to attend our defense exhibition in Coro City.”
The reporters had set up their cameras early as they waited for Jiang Chen’s speech.
Chemezov leaned back against the chair and put one leg over his knee. Then, he gestured to his a.s.sistant, who had his pen and paper ready, and pointed at Jiang Chen in the front.
“Write down every word he says for me.”
“Yes!”
The a.s.sistant nodded earnestly, and the ballpoint pen in his hand was already on the notebook.
Not just Russians, the moment Jiang Chen stood on the rostrum, he immediately became the focal point of the entire exhibition hall. Everyone was waiting for, his next statement.