Venezuela Activates Fighter Air Group 13 With Russian Warplanes

[Ryan Ruck]

Venezuela Activates Fighter Air Group 13 With Russian Warplanes

At least two of the 24 Sukhoi-30 warplanes President Hugo Chávez' Government purchased from Russia will be in Venezuela at the end of November or early December this year, the Venezuelan ruler announced.

Such fighters are to fly over the Venezuelan territory for the first time next December 10, the date when the National Armed Force (FAN) both is commemorating the Aviation Day and is launching "a rocket as part of the projects the Center for Airspace Investigation and Development (Cidae) is advancing," the FAN said in a press release.

The 24 Russian fighters Venezuelan purchased in July 2005 are to reactivate the Fighter Air Group 13, which became inoperative at the end of the eighties, when its 22 Canberra airplanes were removed from service, said former Aviation commander Brigadier General Maximiliano Hernández.

"At the Barcelona Air Base (eastern Anzoátegui state) we are going to install the base for Sukhoi airplanes, the Group 13," Chávez said Tuesday in an event where he delivered funds to the FAN.

Venezuelan Aviation comprises three fighter air groups, namely Group 11 -with Mirage 50 planes-, Group 12 -with F5 planes- and Group 16 -with US-made F16 planes.

While Chávez claimed that the Sukhoi fighters would come "flying" from Russia, unofficial sources said they could be forwarded to Venezuela assembled in an Antonov airplane, the world's largest cargo airplane.

[Sean Osborne]

Sukhoi Su-30MK2

http://www.airliners.net/open.file/0915846/L/

[Ryan Ruck]

Russia Starts Supplies Of Su-30 Fighters To Venezuela

Russia has shipped the first two Su-30MK2 multi-role fighters to Venezuela under a contract signed in July 2006, an aircraft manufacturing industry official said Thursday.

Russia signed $1-billion contracts on supplies of 24 Su-30MK2 Flanker fighters and 30 helicopters to Venezuela prior to this year's visit to Russia by Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez, triggering criticism from Washington, which regards the Venezuelan regime as a potential security threat in the region.

"The first Su-30MK2 fighters for the Venezuelan air force have been transported to Moscow by an An-124 Condor transport plane, and later they will be shipped to Venezuela," the official said, adding that two more fighters will be delivered to the Latin American country by the end of 2006.

Russian-made fighters will substitute American F-16 and French Mirage fighters currently deployed by the Venezuelan air force.

The Su-30MK2 is an export version of a formidable Su-27 Flanker air-superiority fighter capable of accomplishing a wide variety of combat missions at significant distances from the home base, in any weather conditions and severe jamming environment, both by day and night.