Posted on 09/17/2004 10:21:22 AM PDT by struwwelpeter
15:21 2004-09-17
American military intelligence confirms that the Venezuelan ministry of defense has several new MiG-29 fighters. The MiG-29s for now located on one of the bases in the region of Lake Maracaibo. The fighters periodically perform training flights in the region of Curacao island in the Caribbean sea, where they were detected by the American military. Information about Venezuela's MiG-29s was also confirmed by representatives of the Columbian ministry of defence.
The purchase of Russian fighters, according to the American military, is part of a long-term plan by the Venezuelan ministry of defense to upgrade their air forces. Venezuela plans to buy about 50 Russian MiG-29 fighters in various modifications, with 40 single-seat and 10 dual-seat models. Venezuela plans to spend about 5 billion dollars for the Russian fighters, including missiles and special aviation and airfield equipment.
Until recently the only MiG-29s in Latin America were used by Peru and Cuba. Cuba only has six MiG-29s.
(Excerpt) Read more at lenty.ru ...
Providing the US with future Targets at a later date. We are eventualy gonna have to do something down there, it can not continue the way it is going.
I've heard that Larry Ellison (of Oracle Corp. fame) owns a MiG-29. Maybe we can get Larry to attack the Venezuelan Air Force.
Key word, "competent pilots" , I doubt they have any.
That worked for the North Vietnamese in the 60's.
Forming?? It's BEEN there since Chavez took over. Clinton went down to Venezuela to rig the elections and be wined and dined by Chaves. Chaves isn't a charter member, but still part of the inner circle of the Turd Way. As is Putin, BTW.
Yemen is the 90s too. A lot of skilled help out there in need of the paycheck that an oil state can provide.
Well....the certain types of people in the US happen to have fighter jets capable of giving a MiG29 a run for their money. Fully armed and registered with the Dept of Homeland Security. Combine all those people...Chaves can kiss his nether regions goodbye.
Your list has the Su-27?
Yep. Definitely. The Dems know it too, and drool venom in anticipation of Iran-Contra redux.
Intercepting Stealth bombers?
MiG-29s and Su-27s have a little-known tracking device called the OEhPS, or Electro-optical Search and Track, sometimes known as Infrared Seach and Track. This device can detect the heat of an aircraft and is not bothered by radar-jamming or minimalization.
It's biggest benefit is that it's passive, emitting no signals that can warn its target. Those old movies where the pilot starts yelling "He's got lock on!" refer to radar target acquistion, but the OEhPS gives no warning until a missile comes up your exhaust pipe.
ANY escalation of military technology in Latin America is bad. For the US, and for Venezuela's neighbors. FIFTY modern interceptors is a big worry, much more than far-away Cuba's half-dozen.
That pic is a great illustraton of the K-50 Zvezda ("Star") pilot ejection system. It can allow a pilot to leave the aircraft at 0/0 (zero altitude, zero velocity) and at speeds beyond Mach. It shoots the pilot out, then gyro-stabilized gymbals right the seat, shoot it up 200-300 meters, opens a drag chute and main chute.
Our Martin-Baker ejection system at altitudes below 2000 feet or at speeds above 500 knots was a death sentence.
He has pilots already since he's been using them to attack sites in columbia on behalf of FARC. Different aircraft, but he will have people trained for the MiG-29s. In the meantime he can use Cubans as he has in other cases. He prefers Cubans to Venezuelans because he can trust them more. Cuba is a terrorist- backing country we should have taken out a long, long time ago, but couldn't because of folks like Dellums, Harkin, Kerry and Kennedy.
Here's another article on the same topic as the one I freepmailed you.
Perhaps the paragraph break did not show up with your browser.
The SU was listed under "Similar aircraft:" from the FAS website. The "competing American designs" was in a separate paragraph.
Sombody *cough-cough* is prepositioning their forces...
Thanks Piasa.
I'll post a link to this one, too.
Intercepting Ruskie fighters?
If I recall, vintage U.S. fighters from over 40 years ago carried optical infrared targeting sensors like this F-101 Voodoo:
And the contemporary F-14 Tomcat carries the Infrared Search and Track System (IRSTS).
Beautiful pictures, thanks for the info :-)
Ooooh, I am so frightened of THAT prospect. Hilarious.
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