The Russian surface-to-air missile system known in NATO as SA-17 Grizzly was deployed to the coastal area the city of La Guaira north of Caracas while American bombers were conducting demonstration flights off the coast of Venezuela.
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What missiles did Venezuela deploy near Caracas?
What are the capabilities of the Buk-M2E system?
How many Su-30 fighters does Venezuela have?
When did Russia likely supply Venezuela with new military equipment?
Venezuela's new move 'increases threat to US air operations'
Analysts emphasize that this increases the threat to US air operationsenabling Venezuelan forces to attack the latest American aircraft such as the F-35 Lightning II, F-15E Strike Eagle and F/A-18E/F Super Hornet, as well as long-range precision missile weapons, including Tomahawk missiles.
The Venezuelan armed forces are equipped with Buk-M2 launchers mounted on a tracked armored chassis. Each such battery contains self-propelled launchers with 9M317E missiles, capable of intercepting air targets at a distance of up to 45 km and at an altitude of up to 25 km. The system can combat, among others, fighter jets, unmanned aerial vehicles, guided bombs and cruise missiles.
Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro announced that his army also has 5,000. portable, infrared-guided Igla-S anti-aircraft systems. It also has at least six S-125 anti-aircraft missile systems intended for combating targets flying on small high-rise aircraft and the S-300VM system capable combat ballistic missiles, cruise missiles and aircraft.
Deliveries from Russia
The Venezuelan military aviation is also equipped with Russian equipment, including 21 Su-30MKV and Su-30MK2 fighters, which were delivered to Venezuela in 2006-2008, and 9 Mi-35M2 and 8 Mi-17 helicopters.
A week ago Russia has probably supplied Venezuela with more military equipment on board the Il-76 heavy transport plane, which, after stopovers in several African countries, including Algeria, Morocco, Senegal and Mauritania, landed in Caracas on October 26. According to the Warwingsdaily website, the Il-76 may have contained spare parts for Russian planes and helicopters as well as engineering personnel.
The US-Venezuela relationship is boiling
President Donald Trump accused Nicolas Maduro and high-ranking Venezuelan officials of… “drug terrorism, corruption and drug trafficking.” According to the US president, President Maduro is the head of a drug-terrorist cartel that “floods” the US with deadly drugs.
According to the Washington think tank Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), as part of the military campaign against the Venezuelan drug industry there are currently 10,000 near the coast of Venezuela. American soldiers. There are also four destroyers, two landing craft and a nuclear-powered submarine. Also on standby are 10 F-35B fighters, eight Harrier multi-role aircraft, dozens of helicopters and the MV Ocean Trader ship as a base for special operations.
