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Meanwhile, Minister of Defense, General Grigoryev, truthfully reported Mavi's two latest proposals to the highest leader of Russia.
"Mr. President, I have some excellent news for you! Just now, I received a call from Mavi. He has an idea: perhaps we could design and develop ultra-long-range rocket launchers with an 800-kilometer range... and 300-kilometer short-range missiles that can be modified to extend their range. We could then sell these to other countries. I believe these missiles should generate significant sales."
General Grigoryev was a relatively upright person. He wouldn't claim Mavi's achievements as his own, but reported things exactly as they were.
On the other end of the phone, the Russian President had already learned two days prior that Mavi had accomplished another major feat. He had perfectly navigated the challenge posed by the INF Treaty signed with the Americans.
Furthermore, he had acquired the R&D and production line for medium-range missiles from Ukraine at a low price. This meant that in the future, they could not only effectively counter Japan but also target the unstable countries around them one by one. It was nothing but benefits.
"Is that Mavi from the Mikoyan family again?" the Russian President asked thoughtfully over the phone.
"Yes, Mr. President, it is him," General Grigoryev replied truthfully. If the system didn't restrict it, Grigoryev would even want to promote Mavi to an important position within his Ministry of Defense.
"Hmm, when the Red Square military parade takes place this time, please arrange a good spot for him," the Russian President instructed Minister Grigoryev, sounding appreciative.
The Red Square military parade is a grand military ceremony held by the Russian military in Moscow's Red Square. The spectacle is immense, featuring infantry divisions, cavalry divisions, special forces armored vehicles, with a force of 6,000 troops. Additionally, 30 to 100 fixed-wing aircraft and helicopters participate. It's a significant Russian tradition.
"Understood, Mr. President, I will make the arrangements!" General Grigoryev immediately replied on the phone. The President's mention of a "good spot" naturally meant arranging for Mavi to be in his personal viewing area, watching the parade together.
This was a very high honor, one that not even some generals within the military necessarily received. Mavi had reached this point entirely through his own capabilities.
...
After contacting the wealthy Middle Eastern nation, Mavi received a reply from Saudi Arabia a week later: they were "willing to come to Russia to have a look."
Among the many countries in the world, Saudi Arabia can be described as a truly remarkable nation. It sits atop immense wealth, spending money like water. In the previous timeline (referring to our real world), it bought the most advanced military hardware from all over the globe. Its military expenditure even surpassed Russia's at one point, ranking third worldwide!
Yet, this remarkable nation had fostered an even more remarkable army: the Saudi Arabian Army, known by the nickname "The Tycoon Army."
Their equipment is literally armed from head to toe, using only the most expensive gear across the board. And whenever a new weapon is released, Saudi Arabia immediately and without hesitation throws money at it to acquire it. Then, they transfer the original equipment to the reserves, which essentially means dumping it in the desert to gather dust...
With such a "Tycoon Army," logically, their combat effectiveness should be off the charts, completely crushing neighboring Middle Eastern countries like Iraq, Jordan, Israel, and Yemen.
However, the combat effectiveness of the Saudi Arabian Army is notoriously known globally as "battle scumbags" – meaning their combat power is rated as a measly 5.
In the previous timeline, during the Gulf War, they were driving French-made AMX-30B2 main battle tanks but didn't dare confront Iraq's ancient Type 69 tanks head-on. You have to remember, the AMX-30 main battle tank is equipped with reactive armor, unlike the Type 69 tank, which would often be disabled by just one shell hit.
Besides the Gulf War, their combat performance was even more pathetic during the Yemen conflict that erupted in 2015. Armored vehicles and infantry fought separately, failing to provide cover for each other. Tanks were used as static firing positions, resulting in them being ambushed from behind and blown up one by one by the Houthi forces.
Operating armored vehicles was even more astonishingly bad. They would advance while hiding behind pickup trucks. Once they entered a firefight, they'd fire a couple of token shots and immediately retreat. Some units even outright abandoned perfectly good equipment and weapons, handing them over to the Houthi forces.
The way they fought was simply comparable to Brazil and Italy. They were dubbed three of the countries in the world most afraid of dying in battle...
Around 10 AM on Friday morning, a Boeing 747 aircraft flew in from the Middle East and landed at Irkutsk International Airport in Russia. The tail of the aircraft bore the Saudi Arabian Royal emblem. It was clearly the exclusive plane of a member of the royal family.
In this parallel world's Russia, there wasn't a great deal of interaction with Saudi Arabia. So this was their first time conducting an arms deal, and neither side was very familiar with the other.
As the Boeing 747 landed smoothly on the tarmac, another light gray transport aircraft followed closely behind, also landing on the airport platform.
Similarly, the gray transport aircraft also had the Saudi Royal emblem printed on it. Given the Middle Easterners' penchant for displaying wealth, the transport aircraft was likely carrying their exclusive ground vehicles, such as an armored motorcade.
"Your Highness, the transport plane has also arrived. Would you like to disembark now?" a servant dressed in Arabic attire asked a dark-skinned man with a full beard inside the Boeing 747 cabin.
This man was the First Prince of Saudi Arabia, Prince Nasser Al. He had come to Russia this time at Mavi's invitation to see how Russia's Scud missiles and Smerch rocket launcher systems were being sold.
If the performance was satisfactory to him, the price wouldn't be an issue at all. After all, they Saudis definitely weren't short on money.
Just a quick bit of info here: Saudi Arabia and the UAE, while both on the Arabian Peninsula, are two different countries. Saudi Arabia's land area and oil reserves are significantly richer than the UAE's. And Dubai, where Mavi had been before, is one of the Emirates within the UAE.
"Has the reception from Russia arrived?" the Saudi Prince asked the servant, slightly lifting his eyelids. He had always conducted arms business with the Americans before. For this first interaction with the Russian military, he felt the need to put on a bit of an air, to project a certain image.
"It seems they have arrived, Your Highness. The motorcade over there should be the one sent by the Russian military," the servant said, pointing towards the window. Not far from the Boeing 747 passenger jet, a line of neatly parked Tiger armored vehicles could be seen. The reception wasn't flashy, but it seemed to meet the standard.
The Saudi Prince followed the servant's pointed finger and glanced out the window. Then he chuckled dismissively and shook his head. "Alright, let's get off the plane then. But this Russian reception... isn't it a bit too simple?"
The bulletproof luxury car the Saudi Prince had airlifted was a customized BMW 750Li luxury armored vehicle, which he had commissioned from BMW Germany the previous year.
(End of this chapter)