Mercenary's War

Chapter 2436 - 2412: Every Advantage Has Its Disadvantage

"We’re heading to the frontline. Any problems?""A lot of problems, and they’re serious! First, we don’t have the right transport vehicles to move the self-propelled artillery over there, and I also can’t find enough fuel tankers. So right now, I really don’t know how to get our self-propelled artillery to the frontline."

As soon as Rebrov said this, Gao Yang’s head started to hurt, and he immediately said urgently, "Salim said he would find trailers for us, hasn’t he sent them yet?"

"Not sent, and Salim said it might be impossible to gather the trailers we need!"

Gao Yang was getting anxious. Without the flatbeds, how was he going to get these five self-propelled artillery pieces to the border?

"F**k! I’ll push Salim again. If we really can’t find flatbeds to transport our artillery, what about driving the artillery directly there? Can they make it?"

Rebrov shook his head and said bitterly, "Impossible, the engine running hours are not enough. If we drive directly, all the self-propelled artillery would undoubtedly break down halfway. The biggest issue is we don’t have parts! We can’t even fix them. Driving 300 kilometers continuously is different from maintaining them every 50 kilometers."

Gao Yang was utterly frustrated.

In this world, most tanks and self-propelled artillery are tracked, with only a few models being wheeled self-propelled artillery. Tracked armored vehicles have better off-road performance and can run on most terrains. Wheeled armored vehicles also have some off-road capability, but once they leave the road, they can’t perform as well. Not that they can’t move off-road, but their off-road capability is much worse than tracked vehicles.

Tracked armored vehicles perform well off-road, allowing them free movement on open fields during warfare. But there’s a downside: for long-distance transfers, they have to be transported by vehicles instead of relying on their own movement capability.

Tracked armored vehicles are not suited for driving on roads; damaging the road is a minor issue, but long-distance travel will result in wear and tear on tracks and road wheels. Running smoothly on the road, but then having breakdowns on the battlefield makes fighting impossible. So for long-distance engagements, tank and self-propelled artillery equipment must be transported by trailers.

Another problem is that tanks and armored vehicles are fuel guzzlers, consuming 40 to 50 liters of diesel per hour. They are not designed to travel on roads. While their maximum speed can reach 50 to 60 kilometers per hour, during off-road travel, reaching a speed of 30 kilometers per hour feels like you’re flying. On roads, even the fastest is just 30 to 40 kilometers per hour. If they operate at their designed maximum speed, a few hundred kilometers will require an overhaul, with both the engine and transmission system needing significant repairs.

Another very important and troublesome issue is engine running hours.

The work time of the engine is called "engine running hours." Heavy vehicles like tanks and armored cars have an engine hour meter, and once the engine has been running for a certain time, an overhaul must be performed.

For modern tanks and armored vehicles, minimal maintenance occurs after running four to five engine hours. Even the higher-performing ones require maintenance after ten engine hours, and this includes major components like the engine and gearbox.

So if they let the self-propelled artillery drive themselves, Gao Yang and the team would need to prepare a lot of fuel, and upon arrival, they would definitely require major repairs.

During warfare, self-propelled artillery is more convenient and durable than towed artillery, integrating all combat systems on one vehicle—shoot and move quickly. But while enjoying the convenience, the price is greater effort and maintenance costs, which is why self-propelled artillery, while more user-friendly, can’t completely replace towed artillery.

Now Gao Yang and the team face this problem: having self-propelled artillery but no transport vehicles, lacking fuel tankers for self-propelled artillery, nor dedicated ammo supply trucks. Moving with five self-propelled artillery pieces means they can’t just hope to find refueling trucks every few dozen kilometers.

Moreover, after leaving a few major cities in Yemen, you hardly see any gas stations.

Gao Yang turned to Masyev and asked loudly, "How many engine running hours can our self-propelled artillery operate before something inevitably goes wrong?"

Masyev wiped the black grease from his hands, thought for a moment, and said softly, "All five self-propelled artillery should have no problems operating for three engine hours. But two of them need parts replaced, and we don’t have the parts. We just keep using them, and when the time comes, whether they can be repaired to continue operating is uncertain."

With five self-propelled artillery pieces, abandoning them and relying on towed artillery for the frontline is not viable. Gao Yang’s combat plans wouldn’t withstand, primarily because it’s tough to safely achieve combat effectiveness. So self-propelled artillery is a must.

Gao Yang said with some annoyance, "Why didn’t you mention the lack of parts earlier? You’re only telling me now."

Masyev, somewhat anxious and nervous, said, "I thought it wouldn’t help to say anything, because there’s no parts available in all of Yemen. These artillery pieces lack maintenance, and normally, things needing maintenance after five engine hours here are done after ten or even twenty engine hours. When certain components need replacement, there can be long waits."

Rebrov also said, very annoyed, "Masyev has been here too long; he’s accustomed to getting by with makeshift repairs. I just found out about the specific situation. But Masyev is indeed very skilled; without him, our self-propelled artillery would already have been damaged."

Gao Yang was quite helpless. What’s happening here is actually quite common. In places like Africa and Yemen, many relatively advanced things get used until they break, because nobody knows there should be maintenance.

"This situation isn’t your fault this time, but remember, whenever you need parts or maintenance, always say it in advance. Whatever you need, I’ll get it for you. But if you don’t tell us, how can we know?"

Gao Yang didn’t lose his temper, but Masyev still said fretfully, "Yes, yes, I understand now. This won’t happen again."

Gao Yang waved his hand at Masyev and said, "List what parts you need quickly, and prepare extra if possible. Go on, quickly, and make sure not to miss anything."

Masyev was quite surprised, saying, "Yes, I’m going now. Can we really get the parts? Uh, sorry, I’m going right away!"

Masyev hurried away. Rebrov then quietly said, "Boss, is there enough time given how tight it is? I think we should still ask Salim to find trailers; we should be able to manage without problems."

Gao Yang said gravely, "Whether we have trailers or not, we must prepare the parts. Better to be safe than sorry. Time is a bit tight, but no worries, we can arrange an airdrop; our transport planes can finally be put to use."