Initially, European investors targeted India for railway development. This was because India had a much greater need for railways than China.
They had investigated both China and India. By then, China already possessed a complete standard gauge railway network, connecting all its major cities. Later, railways even reached the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau. Consequently, the Europeans quickly concluded that China had little potential for further high-speed rail development.
High-speed rail requires building entirely new lines, which, for a country already possessing an extensive railway network like China, seemed an uneconomical proposition. Therefore, the Europeans initially bypassed China.
India, on the other hand, was an exceptionally attractive prospect.
First and foremost, India is renowned internationally, a country favored by all businesses and international conglomerates… After all, it's remarkably easy to make money in India, a fact for which they are quite famous on the global stage.
Consider India's military procurements, for instance. They buy from every nation, often without bargaining, paying premium prices for second-hand equipment and double the cost for new items.
Then there’s the famous story concerning India’s aircraft carrier. To celebrate the 50th anniversary of India's independence, Russia generously announced its decision to gift an aircraft carrier to India.
Such a windfall naturally delighted the Indian populace. However, the Indian government, possessing a modicum of intelligence, suspected that Russia wouldn't bestow such a significant boon without a reason, especially given how incensed Russia had been by the "ruble incident" years prior.
In response to India's skepticism, Russia candidly explained that the aircraft carrier had been launched in 1982, making it quite old. Furthermore, due to circumstances known to all, it had suffered from a lack of maintenance over the years and was currently experiencing operational difficulties while docked. A bit of repair and refurbishment, Russia stated, would be sufficient to reactivate it.
The cost for this would not be exorbitant, approximately 100 million US dollars. Russia claimed it was merely covering maintenance costs; otherwise, selling it as scrap metal wouldn't fetch even a few coins!
Upon hearing this, India found it entirely plausible. This, they reasoned, must be Russia's true intention – to profit from a 100-million-dollar repair and maintenance fee.
Was it worth it for India to spend this 100 million dollars?
Absolutely. It was more than worth it.
After all, even the cheapest aircraft carrier today costs upwards of 500 million dollars. And an aircraft carrier of the displacement of the one Russia was gifting, approximately 50,000 tons, would have had a construction cost of over 2 billion dollars.
Indeed, India's former colonial power possessed a comparable aircraft carrier, but its construction cost was a staggering 6 billion pounds, equivalent to 8 billion US dollars. So, wasn't the 100 million dollars a worthwhile investment?
Consequently, India and Russia quickly reached an agreement and signed a 100-million-dollar repair contract. India promptly transferred the 100 million dollars to Russia and eagerly awaited the successful repair of the aircraft carrier, anticipating becoming the sole nation in Asia with two operational aircraft carrier groups.
However, less than six months later, Russia delivered some rather grim news. They stated that during an initial inspection of the aircraft carrier, they had overlooked a problem with the boilers. Now, all eight of the ship's boilers were rendered inoperable. To restore the aircraft carrier to working condition, these eight boilers would need to be repaired, requiring an additional payment of about 500 million dollars from India.
India began to feel uneasy. The initial 100 million dollars was manageable, but why had the cost suddenly escalated to 500 million? Was Russia toying with them?
To investigate, India dispatched its own experts to Russia's shipyard. After a thorough inspection, they returned with a report confirming that the boilers were indeed damaged. India lacked the capability to repair or construct such boilers, leaving the repair exclusively in the hands of the Russians.
Moreover, if all eight boilers were to be replaced, the 500 million dollars would not be considered excessively high; in fact, it could be seen as rather inexpensive.
Furthermore, replacing all the boilers would mean the entire aircraft carrier would have a brand-new "heart," rather than the aging one from 1982. This would significantly extend the aircraft carrier's operational lifespan.
Initially, if the old boilers were to be used, the aircraft carrier, even after purchase, would likely only last for another decade. However, with new boilers, it would be akin to transforming a 70-year-old man into a vigorous 20-year-old; its lifespan would increase by at least 20 years, allowing the aircraft carrier to serve until 2040.
Upon careful consideration, India deemed the replacement of all boilers with new ones to be a beneficial decision. While 500 million dollars sounded like a substantial sum, it remained very affordable compared to the cost of comparable aircraft carriers. Therefore, India readily paid the money, and the repair of the aircraft carrier commenced. xxs壹贰
India waited and waited, another two years passing. Surely, the aircraft carrier could be returned by now? Upon inquiry, the Russians repeatedly apologized and expressed their deep regret, informing India that they had discovered a problem with the aircraft carrier's deck.
The metal of these decks had suffered severe wear and tear, which would pose a significant risk during aircraft takeoffs, potentially leading to catastrophic accidents.
While it was considered normal for Indian aircraft to experience crashes, an excessive number of such incidents was undesirable. Even if human lives were not highly valued, aircraft were, after all, purchased with hard-earned money!
This time, however, the Indians became more vigilant and immediately retorted, "Are you trying to trick us into paying more for repairs again?"
The Russians quickly assured them that they had no such malicious intentions and valued their reputation. They explained that this issue had arisen due to an oversight during their inspection and that they should, therefore, bear the cost of replacing the deck.
However, the deck currently installed on the aircraft carrier dated back to 1980 and employed outdated technology, making it prone to various problems. Critically, the factory that manufactured the deck was located in Ukraine, and this factory had long since closed down, making it impossible to produce the original deck.
Nevertheless, they had a newly introduced deck system that was technologically advanced, boasted impressive specifications, and possessed excellent fire-resistant capabilities. Even if an aircraft crashed directly onto the deck, or if a boiler experienced a fire and explosion, the deck would remain intact. Russia planned to equip its future aircraft carriers with such decks, so it made sense to replace it with this new system.
To demonstrate their sincerity, they stated that they would not charge any fees for the deck replacement, only the cost of the deck itself.
The Indians found this offer somewhat enticing but also suspected they might be taken advantage of. They inquired about the cost of replacing the deck with the new system.
"Replacing all of it would cost about 500 million dollars!" the representative stated offhandedly.
The Indians were taken aback and repeatedly shook their heads, saying, "Five hundred million is too expensive; we’ll stick with the original deck!"
"How can that be? Wouldn't that be neglecting our esteemed guests?" the Russian official said, his voice filled with apparent sorrow. Then, clutching his chest, he continued, "How about this: I can make the decision to provide you with this brand-new deck completely free of charge, not a penny required!"
"Is that for real!" the Indians exclaimed in shock. Was another windfall falling from the sky?
"However," the Russian official continued, his voice tinged with regret, "I've heard that your naval carrier-based aircraft are still the older models. How can such aircraft possibly match such a superb aircraft carrier and such an advanced deck? A magnificent aircraft carrier like this deserves our most cutting-edge naval carrier-based aircraft."
"We have decided to make a decision that goes against our ancestors: we will sell you our most powerful Russian carrier-based aircraft, the MiG-29K. Each will cost 100 million dollars. For every ten purchased, we will give you five free, plus one trainer aircraft of the same model, intended for your training and practice landings – with guaranteed training, pilot instruction, carrier-based aircraft maintenance and after-sales service, and a complimentary set of the latest technology and material-produced deck, along with a free three-dimensional air surveillance radar!" the Russian official declared magnanimously.
"Ten aircraft? 100 million each? Doesn't that mean another billion dollars!" The Indians were stunned by the price, but they couldn't resist the sheer volume of freebies offered.
The MiG-29K was indeed among the most advanced naval carrier-based aircraft globally at that time, a cutting-edge fighter jet that even the Russian military had not yet equipped. With these aircraft, they could dominate the entire Asian maritime region.
Although 100 million dollars per aircraft sounded prohibitively expensive, the offer of five free aircraft for every ten purchased, plus a trainer aircraft, meant they would receive sixteen aircraft in total, making the price seem much more reasonable.
When factoring in the all-inclusive latest carrier deck and a new radar system, the price was undoubtedly considered a fair one.
Ultimately, the Indians felt they had secured a good deal and paid another billion dollars for the deck replacement and aircraft purchase.
The MiG-29K aircraft were quickly delivered to the Indian aircraft carrier, and Indian pilots began their training.
However, after eight of the sixteen MiG-29K aircraft crashed, the aircraft carrier became incapable of sailing. The Russians then announced new problems with the aircraft carrier, requiring further repairs and, in essence, demanding more money.
Naturally, the Indians became furious. They weren't foolish enough to be taken advantage of and angrily declared that they no longer needed the Russian repairs. They could arrange for tugboats to tow the vessel back to India, where Indian enterprises could undertake the repairs themselves.
After some deliberation, the Russians agreed. The ship was subsequently towed back to India, and the Indian military industrial complex took over its maintenance.
The quality of India's military industry can be imagined, and there is no need to elaborate further. Suffice it to say, the process was plagued by explosions and chaos. Even five of the newly installed eight boilers were damaged during the repair process.
Ultimately, they had no choice but to grudgingly hand the repairs back to the Russians. The vessel remained at the Russian shipyard, and it wasn't until 2012 that it was finally delivered, by which time the total expenses incurred had exceeded 3 billion US dollars – enough to purchase two brand-new aircraft carriers.
This is the impression India left on international business partners. Consequently, these European magnetic levitation manufacturers were even more eager to cooperate with "big spenders" like India… or rather, esteemed clients.