Posted on 04/04/2008 5:22:05 AM PDT by PapaBear3625
Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez may sign a contract for four Russian diesel submarines on a visit to Moscow next month, the Kommersant daily has reported, citing unidentified officials.
Chavez has been invited to the May inauguration of Dmitry Medvedev as Russian president.
If he takes up the invitation, the Venezuelan leader may use the opportunity to sign a contract to buy four Kilo-class diesel submarines agreed to at the start of this year, the paper said.
Kommersant said the submarine contract, worth about $1 billion ($1.27 billion), had been set to be signed in February.
Venezuela is seeking a loan of about $800 million ($1.02 billion) from a Russian bank, probably from Russia's official debt agent, Vneshekonombank, for some of the arms purchases, the paper said, adding that the loan had yet to be agreed.
Officials at Venezuela's Moscow embassy were not immediately available for comment on the report. A spokesman for Russia's state arms exporter could not be reached for comment and the foreign ministry declined to comment.
The paper said Venezuela also wants to buy 12 Ilyushin Il-76 military transport aircraft while Russia is interested in selling Caracas its new generation Sukhoi Su-35 fighters, which are still being tested.
Venezuela is Russia's fourth biggest arms buyer after China, India and Algeria.
Chavez, a socialist and fierce US critic, has made regular visits to Russia, the world's second biggest oil exporter, and has praised President Vladimir Putin for standing up to the United States.
Russia is seeking to boost arms exports to Latin America as some of its traditional customers - such as India - express concerns over late deliveries and price rises for its arms.
Some of Moscow's military technology has not been updated since the Cold War and it has been falling behind Western competitors, particularly in the area of electronics, military analysts say.
The Kilo-class submarine, known in Russia as Project 636, has a submerged displacement of about 4,000 tons and is considered to be one of the quietest diesel submarines in the world. It carries a total of eighteen torpedoes.
One word: Kursk
Has he tried to get his grubby hands on the Red October?
Is he aware that they have screen doors to keep the fish out?
We should really fear those dreaded diesels! Does he plan to shoot tamale torpedo’s?
Chavez needs to get his hands on Moscows most top secret weapons systems... So we can have a look.
I would not be too worried about just 4 of them.
If we had Chavez's back to the wall, and a cruise ship with a couple of thousand US citizens on it got blown up, would we be able to prove who did it? And would a Dem president be under pressure to avoid having it happen again?
May Hugo’s voyage to the bottom of the sea be a one-way excursion.
"If you buy me a hamburger today, I'll gladly pay you Tuesday"
I predict Chavez will be assasinated ... it's one thing to be a madman with your own people in your own country, but to play a game on super powers?
Dumb, dumb, dumb.
We’ve been operating against Iranian Project 636 boats for over ten years. What was considered “quiet” then is probably quite noisy to us now.
The CSS Hunley wasn’t good enough?
“If we had Chavez’s back to the wall, and a cruise ship with a couple of thousand US citizens on it got blown up, would we be able to prove who did it?”
That’s a real stretch. Do you really believe we can’t track every move of a diesel powered submarine? Are they any match for a nuclear-powered U.S. hunter-killer?
Oh goody. More target practice.
I doubt there is a submarine anywhere we don’t know about. While it may be quiet for a diesel compared to nukes it is the equivalent of walking around banging a pot with a spoon.
Although I know it is unpopular here to provide words of praise for Vladimir Putin, I admire the guy. This is a wonderful example of his brilliance.
He went out into the world and found a bonefide dyed in the wool sucker with money and sold him. He unloaded junk for $$$. He has some real salesmen to pull off such a deal.
Thought provoking yes
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