Venezuela Intends To Buy Russian Submarines

[Ryan Ruck]

Venezuela Intends To Buy Russian Submarines

BUENOS AIRES, September 25 (RIA Novosti, Yury Nikolayev) - Venezuela intends to consider buying Russian Amur-class submarines, the country's Navy said. Vice Admiral Jose Laguna, the Navy's commander-in-chief, will discuss this issue during his upcoming visit to Russia.

Laguna intends to go to sea onboard an Amur-class diesel-electric submarine to inspect its tactical and technical characteristics.

Venezuela is set to buy three new generation submarines to replace German Type 209 submarines.

Venezuela is holding a tender on the purchase of submarines. German Type 212/214 submarines and French-Spanish Scorpio submarines are also bidding for the tender.

Vice Admiral Laguna said the Venezuelan Navy would choose a submarine that has the best tactical and technical characteristics and is easy to train personnel.

Amur-class submarines have the new Club-S anti-ship weapon system. This system enables the submarine to fire Club-S missiles, as well as torpedoes, from ten torpedo tubes in the bow.

[Ryan Ruck]

Russia To Present 100 Models Of Naval Engineering And Weapons At Venezuela Exhibition

MOSCOW, August 23 (RIA Novosti) - Russia will present more than 100 models of naval engineering and weapons at a major international exhibition in Venezuela, Russia's main arms exporter said Tuesday.

The international exhibition, ExpoNaval Venezuela Internacional 2005, will be held August 24-27 in Caracas, the Venezuelan capital.

The press release by Rosoboronexport, the only state intermediary agency for arms exports, said the Russian defense sector would be represented by the leading experts of the Izhmash concern and helicopter producers of Kazan and Rostov.

The Russian exhibits will reflect the individual needs of the Venezuelan navy and regional fleets.

Some of the naval engineering models are unrivalled, including the submarine model of the 950 Amur project that is capable of hitting both sea and surface targets. Russian exhibits also include a patrol ship of the Mirazh 14310 project, which is known for its powerful weapons, high speed, and navigability, and a landing craft on an air cushion of the Murena-E project.

Rosoboronexport will also present weapons and equipment for naval aviators and marines, in particular, a Su-39 assault aircraft and a Su-35 (Flanker) aircraft - the favorite of the tenders for fighters that Brazil's Air Force held in the past few years.

Rosoboronexport's press release said Russia's helicopters Mi-26 (Halo), Mi-35 (Hind), and Mi-17 (Hip) would soon be supplied to Venezuela.

In 2001, when Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez first visited Moscow, the sides signed intergovernmental agreements on military and technological cooperation, which laid the legal basis for bilateral cooperation.

This March and June, Rosoboronexport and the Venezuelan Defense Ministry signed ambitious contracts on helicopter supplies to Venezuela. The first helicopters will be sent to Venezuela later this year.

This May, Rosoboronexport signed a contract to supply 100,000 of the latest Kalashnikov assault rifles to Venezuela.