Chapter 557 Kolo in the Attack

It is also because of Prince Andrew's experience as a pilot in the Navy - he was just awarded the title of Honorary Colonel of the Royal Navy two years ago - so he can recognize the Tornado F3 fighter jets that are still in service with the Royal Air Force. It will be surprising.

When the new Kolo government was first established, defense security was contracted to the Kolo Corps.

At that time, most of the equipment owned by the Colo Corps was "lost" equipment purchased from the US-British coalition forces during the Iraq War, and all of it was army equipment. There were only a few helicopters. In addition, it was for coastal defense. Several speedboats.

The so-called air force of the previous Kolo military government only had two old fighter jets.

After the discovery of the oil fields in Colo, the government gradually became "generous". On the one hand, it hoped to increase its national defense strength, and on the other hand, it also sought some ways to restrict the Colo Corps. So last year, the Colo government signed an agreement with the Colo Corps. A new defense agreement was signed - the agreement stipulates that the Kolo government will fund the purchase of part of the equipment to strengthen national defense capabilities, including the new air force and navy.

This part of the defense force will be trained by the Colo Corps, equipped by the government, and will be jointly led by the government and the Colo Corps.

In fact, this new agreement was also proposed by Barron's think tank. This will be conducive to the construction of heavy equipment for the Colo Corps, and the Colo government will bear its costs. As for its use, the Minister of Defense of Colo Is there any difference when all the appointments are made by "our own people"?

And no matter what, those who specifically use the equipment are members of the Koro Legion.

At that time, the British Royal Air Force was preparing to make cuts - they planned to disband one Tornado F3 air defense fighter squadron and retire all Jaguar fighter/ground attack aircraft (3 squadrons) before 2007...

The number of Hunter MR2 maritime patrol aircraft will also be reduced from 21 to 16, and the number of Royal Air Force personnel will also be reduced from 48,500 to 41,000 before 2008.

So with the help of Barron's connections through the military and the Duke of Westminster, who serves as deputy chief of staff of the Ministry of Defense, Colo bought the 12 Tornado F3 fighter jets in this part of the reduced equipment (half of which were for Ground type and half anti-aircraft type) formed a fighter squadron.

In addition, 5 maritime patrol aircraft were purchased for the defense of offshore oil fields, as well as 10 G115 training aircraft.

The established Colo Corps Air Force just hired some of the retired personnel from the Royal Air Force to train instructors and maintenance personnel of various types of aircraft, which also solved the problem of the placement of downsized personnel in the Royal Air Force.

Some people may say that the cost of buying retired equipment from the British Army is not as good as buying more cost-effective ones elsewhere...

In fact, no matter which country, its military equipment purchases are never purely economic, but can also be regarded as a continuation of politics.

Or to put it more bluntly, for some small countries, outsourcing equipment is equivalent to paying "protection fees" to those big arms sales countries.

As a Commonwealth country, Colo has a relationship like Barron. At the same time, the instructors and key personnel of the Colo Corps are all from the British army. If the main arms purchase target is not aimed at the British, then That's really stupid.

For a small West African country like Kolo, there are really no powerful countries around it. With the current strength of the Kolo Army, it is more than enough to maintain the country's defense.

…

Since the airport near Colo's capital Brita is under construction and has not yet been put into use, the Devonshire plane landed at Loti International Airport in the old capital and currently the largest city in Colo - the runway here is also It has been expanded and renovated, making it longer than when they came before.

When Prince Andrew and Barron stepped off the plane, the presidential guard played music to welcome them on both sides of the red carpet at the airport.

Kolo President Jammeh Bongo personally arrived from Bulita with some officials to greet them.

Prince Andrew was very happy to see the other party welcoming him with such grand courtesy. As a member of the royal family, they are required to bear the responsibility of representing the royal family and the country in foreign visits. This is also one of their jobs.

Kolo's new government completed the general election in 2004, at which time Jammeh Bongo began his term as president.

Kolo's new constitution stipulates that the term of the president is four years, so there will be another election next year. Jammeh naturally hopes to be re-elected. Although during his terms, Kolo has achieved great development and is very There are results, but Jammeh understands that in addition to the people's choice, the most important thing for him to complete his re-election is whose support he gets...

After a short break and talks, Jaime Bongo took them on a tour of Loti.

Even though Colo has moved its capital from Loti to Bulita in the center, Loti is still the largest city in Colo. After all, Bulita has only completed the construction of part of the area, and its population is not yet large. many.

In fact, while announcing the plan to move the capital, Colo also promoted an urban transformation plan in Loti - after all, although Loti was already the most "prosperous" city in the entire Colo, areas where poor people gathered were still dirty. The chaotic cityscape is comparable to a slum in India.

Therefore, on the east side of the original Loti city, Golden Africa Real Estate Company, a subsidiary of the West Africa Group, carried out a new urban construction project.

Now some companies have settled in the new city of Loti, including the Kolo Petroleum Company and the residential areas they provide for their employees. Compared with the old city, the new city has a much better appearance, and the planning is more scientific. .

It is expected that before 2010, the new city of Loti will be completed and the renovation of the old city will begin.

It can be said that in Colo, Barron has seen vigorous vitality that he had not discovered when he last arrived. Since the establishment of the new government in 2004, Colo's economic growth has entered the fast lane, with an average annual economic growth rate of more than 20 %, which can be called terrifying - of course, this is also related to their weak foundation. In other words, there is huge room for improvement...

Especially around the city, Loti's per capita income has tripled compared to 2004. Especially after the stable exploitation of the offshore oil fields in Colo, Colo has announced that it will bid farewell to the ranks of underdeveloped countries.

Of course, it’s not just the oil fields. The domestic investment growth in Kolo is also very strong. This is also due to the fact that since 2004, with the support of the Kolo government and the West African Group, many technical schools have been opened in Kolo. The government provides subsidies and the United Bank of West Africa provides part of the loan, allowing ordinary people in Kolo to enter these technical schools for short-term study (more like pre-job training) to help them gain the ability to work in factories to drive screws.

The former Primark clothing chain, and later the Fast Retailing Group, have gradually expanded their production bases in Colo; factories for deep processing of agricultural products including coffee and cocoa have been established one after another; Colo's domestic infrastructure has been developed, and re-export trade has With the reconstruction of Loti Port, the loading and unloading volume has continued to increase and it has prospered, and the transportation industry has begun to flourish...

These are the driving forces for Kolo's domestic economic growth.