America: My Time

Chapter 374 The Generosity of Middle Eastern Tycoons

Chapter 374 The Generosity of Middle Eastern Tycoons
Did the Japanese not notice John's scheme at all? No, they certainly did. At least they understood that much of Hughes's second plan remained on paper. Therefore, they did not provide Gulfstream Aerospace with more support or place more orders. They only made a small gesture and provided some support to Transocean in terms of the acquisition of Transocean and low-cost aircraft and cargo. They needed to see hope before they would take further steps.

Currently, Hughes's communications satellite network is not even fully operational yet, so how could the Japanese possibly invest heavily? Only when they see hope, only when they see hope, will they invest heavily. At that time, the bubble era will fully burst, and the Japanese will have a large amount of money in their hands. This is the opportunity John is looking forward to.

John knew all too well how crazy Japan was during the bubble economy era. No one would believe him if he said it now, so he had to keep this plan to himself for now. He could only accelerate Hughes Aerospace's development, speed up the construction of its communication satellite network, and expedite the launch of experimental satellites. All of this required time and personnel; relying solely on Hughes's own research and development capabilities was insufficient, even with Dreamworld and Bell Labs. Now, with the addition of Japanese personnel, it would save Hughes even more time—a win-win situation.

Many people only see the price John paid for his collaboration with Japan, but they don't see the deeper calculations he's hiding behind it. There's no gain without pain; a small investment now will yield a hundredfold return in the future. That's the result John wants. But no one will believe John's calculations now because the bubble economy hasn't arrived yet.

Time was running out, and John was becoming increasingly anxious. It was precisely because he knew his time was limited that John stayed in Japan to accelerate development in all aspects, not only in real estate expansion but also in the construction of the oil refinery. John had reached an agreement with Japan on this project, requiring it to be put into production before it was fully operational. This put a lot of pressure on Japan, but they had no objections.

John was anxious, and so were the Japanese. They were hoping that John's oil refinery in Japan could start production as soon as possible to alleviate their own pressure. After all, the Japanese had experienced one oil crisis after another and understood how much a crisis could affect their development. Moreover, John had a good relationship with the Middle Eastern tycoons, so once the refinery was in operation, there would be no shortage of crude oil, which would be of great benefit to Japan.

Although Japan does have other refineries, with the rapid development of the Japanese economy and the arrival of the bubble economy, Japan's demand for crude oil will increase significantly, and the global petrochemical industry will also continue to grow. Therefore, John needs to seize the opportunity, make early arrangements, and capture a portion of Japan's market share.

After settling matters in Japan, John, along with Carol Tomé of Gulfstream Aerospace, traveled to the Middle East. Upon arriving in Riyadh again, John and his team received a warm welcome. With the improvement of Dreamworld's big data and the completion of their network deployment, connections between various parties in the Middle East were strengthened. Most importantly, as they implemented John's plan to integrate military forces into civilian life, the arrival of Sikorsky Black Hawk civilian helicopters, the continuous accumulation of spare parts, and the extensive training provided by Jaguar Security Company all enhanced the potential of the Middle Eastern tycoons.

Seeing this prospect, the Middle Eastern tycoons' goodwill towards John increased significantly, and they also wanted to continue to expand such reserves. Their orders for civilian aviation equipment would not be affected. Therefore, when John and his party arrived, they were immediately given a warm welcome. The reason was simple: all of Gulfstream Aerospace's equipment could be integrated with the Dreamworld network system and Bell Labs' system.

From the outset of research and development, Dreamworld and Bell Labs accepted John's suggestion to reserve interfaces so that their network system could fully integrate with Gulfstream Aerospace's equipment. This is precisely why the Middle Eastern tycoon was more satisfied and considered placing more orders. Understanding the customer's needs was John's strategic plan. Once the Middle Eastern tycoon saw the sincerity of Dreamworld, Bell Labs, and Gulfstream Aerospace, they would place more orders, even if the price was slightly higher, because it was worth the investment.

If the Middle Eastern tycoons had many concerns before the network was fully integrated, worrying about the value of their investments, they no longer have such worries. They genuinely feel the benefits of this network system, the advantages brought by Dreamworld and Bell Labs, and are even more aware of the usefulness of the aircraft they purchased from Gulfstream Aerospace. Even their Bentley cars can be connected to this network system.

Many people initially looked down on Bentley's armored vehicles, but now they've changed their minds. They're eager to acquire more armored vehicles, at least for their improved mobility and ease of integration. Soon, Sikorsky secured another large order—a civilian order. Almost all the wealthy Middle Easterners are choosing to replace their other helicopters with Black Hawks. Although the project will take a long time, this hasn't changed their resolve. They've seen the benefits of the Black Hawk helicopter and its potential for increased mobility, so even a small cost is worthwhile. This has become a consensus among the Middle Eastern elites.

With the approval of Middle Eastern tycoons, Sikorsky's development faced no obstacles. Large orders provided Sikorsky with a steady stream of funds, and all loans were no longer a burden. This outcome shocked Carole Tomé, the CEO who had just taken over the Gulfstream Aerospace Group.

It was only then that Carol Tomé realized the ambition and formidable capabilities of his family's organization, which had made numerous arrangements from the outset to ensure close cooperation among its subsidiaries and maximize their benefits.

After finalizing the Sikorsky order, the Middle Eastern tycoon seized the opportunity to make the same request as Japan. They also wanted to participate in Hughes Aerospace's plans and the development of the Global Positioning System, offering even better terms than Japan. They immediately offered two billion US dollars in research and development funding, with a simple request: to have a small amount of usage rights when the time was right. John, of course, would not refuse such a 'cooperation' request, nor would Hughes Aerospace.

Unsurprisingly, the cooperation was quickly finalized, and the Middle Eastern tycoon was willing to sign a substantial order after learning that Gulfstream Aerospace had acquired Fokker Aircraft Company. Even before John could mention his need for crude oil supplies for his refineries in Japan and Taiwan, the Middle Eastern tycoon proactively offered his services.

Inside the Riyadh Royal Palace, some people couldn't help but voice their opinions. After all, the price they paid in this 'cooperation' was quite high, making some people feel a little uncomfortable. They said, "Aren't we giving the other party too many benefits? In the same cooperation, Japan didn't pay such a price. We not only provided huge financial support, but also gave Gulfstream Aerospace so many orders, and even Bentleys?"

"Is it a lot? Not at all. Do we lack money? What impact will this amount of investment have on us? No, not at all. From the very beginning of the cooperation, although the prices from Dreamworld, Bell Labs, and Bentley were a bit high, they didn't give us any downgraded versions. It was worth every penny for us. We've seen a significant improvement in our combat capabilities alone, not to mention the potential. Have you ever encountered such a 'cooperation' in previous procurements? Whether it's other American companies or those European guys, they were unwilling to give us the most advanced technology and equipment. But in this 'cooperation,' we received technology and equipment equal to that of the American side, and they didn't have any problems with the later maintenance. Do you think such a price is too high?"

"I believe our collaboration is perfectly suited. Some people only see our efforts but not the pressure Mr. John and Gulfstream Aerospace are under. If we're so concerned about such a small investment, how can we cooperate with them in the future? Gulfstream Aerospace is different; they're not without pressure from all sides in the US. They've also made considerable preparations. In previous orders, you all heard Ms. Carroll say that Fokker needs to build a production line in the US. Why? Don't you understand at all? We can't let our friends down, we can't let them bear the pressure alone. We can't offer assistance in other areas, but we can help with orders. We're buying planes from whomever we want, so why not give our 'friends' a large order that satisfies them!"

“Well said. We always do our best to help our friends. This time, it wasn’t the other party who asked for help; we took the initiative to help. Most importantly, when the Japanese wanted to participate in the cooperation with Hughes Aerospace, they had to wait for discussions. But when we proposed the idea of ​​cooperation, they didn’t hesitate and agreed immediately. We need to give the greatest help to such friends. We should help them whenever they need it. We can’t let such ‘good friends’ down, and we can’t let our enemies laugh at us.”

(End of this chapter)