Chavez: Venezuela to get defense system - "We're going to armor Venezuela."

AP on Yahoo ^ | 8/3/06 | Jorge Rueda - ap

[NormsRevenge]

CARACAS, Venezuela - Venezuela will install an advanced air-defense system with anti-aircraft missiles capable of shooting down approaching enemy warplanes, Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez said Thursday.

Chavez, who has repeatedly accused the United States of plotting to overthrow him, said the missiles would help defend the oil-rich country against any "aggression."

"We're going to acquire the most modern anti-aircraft defense system," Chavez said during a televised speech in the coastal state of Falcon, where military planes and newly purchased Russian helicopters swooped overhead during a military parade. "We're going to armor Venezuela."

He said the air defense system would protect Venezuela from its Caribbean coast to its Amazon border with Brazil. He suggested he saw components that Venezuela will buy in visits to Russia, Belarus and Iran over the past week.

"The modern systems that we saw in Russia, Belarus and Tehran detect the target at 125 miles. They come with missiles that go direct, guided by the heat of the planes that come," Chavez said. "Venezuela will be armored to defend ourselves against any aggression."

Flush with booming oil profits, Chavez has been spending heavily on Venezuela's military while warning the country must be prepared in case U.S. troops one day attempt an invasion. American officials dismiss the suggestions as preposterous, though President Bush has called Chavez a threat to democracy in the region.

Chavez sealed a deal last week in Russia to buy 24 Sukhoi Su-30 fighter jets and 53 helicopters. Venezuelan Defense Minister Gen. Raul Baduel has said those new deals, plus the installation of factories to produce Kalashnikov rifles and ammunition, will cost about $3 billion.

The arms purchases have made Venezuela one of the top spenders on arms in Latin America and have made Russia the main supplier of weaponry to Venezuela.

[Leisler]

Hugo baby's idea of investment. And. Somewhere in Las Vegas, a Russian salesmen is very drunk and happy.

[Mike Darancette]

Defense these.

[Doctor Stochastic]

This is the type of behavior that led to Argentina's invasion of the Falklands. Of course, Argentina did buy from the US (with US encouragement.)

[Proud_USA_Republican]

What do you think the odds are he'll try to invade Cuba?

[KC Burke]

Oh, I wouldn't be at all surprised if upon unrest following the death of Castro if he doesn't immediately jump to defend "the workers' paridise."

[Jack Deth]

Shouldn't that be "We are going to Arm Venezuela"??? Venezuela will install an advanced air-defense system with anti-aircraft missiles capable of shooting down approaching enemy warplanes, Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez said Thursday.

Sounds like a great Testing Range for the Next Generation "Wild Weasel" SAM Killers and Anti-radar Missiles.

Jack.

[Eric in the Ozarks]

The country is corrupt. Name your price and pick your generalissimo.

[mugs99]

What do you think the odds are he'll try to invade Cuba?

It's more likely he'll take Aruba. That would give him another refinery and the Dutch may not be willing to fight a war over Aruba.
.

[Doctor Stochastic]

What do you think the odds are he'll try to invade Cuba?

About zero. Perhaps Columbia.

[StormEye]

"It's more likely he'll take Aruba. That would give him another refinery and the Dutch may not be willing to fight a war over Aruba."

I think he's planning on doing just that. However he'll wait until N. Korea and Iran tie down America. If the situation in Cuba settles out in America's favor he'll change his plans.

[mugs99]

However he'll wait until N. Korea and Iran tie down America. If the situation in Cuba settles out in America's favor he'll change his plans

Yeah, North Korean delegates have been in Caracas for months. There'll be a North Korean embassy there soon. Raul Castro will become a Chavez puppet so it isn't likely Cuba will settle out in our favor.

Looks like war in the western hemisphere is in our future.
.

[Vince Ferrer]

I see a great opportunity here. Cash on the table so to speak. We make a deal with the Russians. They send Hugo 30 fighters, we knock them down. Hugo orders 30 more, we knock down 30 more. Hugo orders 50, (he's getting pissed now) and we knock them down too. And the deal with the Russians is we get ten percent of the net for providing them with a steady customer.

If we're going to do that, let good old American second-tier companies sell to him. We'll take our cut in sales taxes. Where's all of the complaints that we armed Sadaam now? Did he get his money's worth?

[sukhoi-30mki]

The MKI version can't be sold without India's approval given that it was developed for them.The Indian government has too much going with Washington to risk selling a few planes to a wacko.The only country that has got the MKI variant(without thrust vectoring & Israeli subsystems) is Malaysia.

Besides Venezuela couldn't probably afford an MKI which is supposedly 55 million USD+.Standard MK variants are around 40-45 million.

[gondramB]

>>The MKI version can't be sold without India's approval given that it was developed for them.The Indian government has too much going with Washington to risk selling a few planes to a wacko.The only country that has got the MKI variant(without thrust vectoring & Israeli subsystems) is Malaysia.

Besides Venezuela couldn't probably afford an MKI which is supposedly 55 million USD+.Standard MK variants are around 40-45 million.<<

I didn't realize that restriction on sales and had forgotten about the Israeli involvement.

Thanks for the info.

[JasonC]

And when we just grab all the tankers leaving your ports, you are going to...?

Right. Not a darn thing.

[JasonC]

He is already doing the latter. There is money from him and from Lulu in Brazil and from the Chinese, all of it washing over all of south America spreading the anti-American gringo go home version of communism. Which is simply China running its ongoing grand strategy of asymmetric warfare against the US. When we are done with the middle east they'll have all the terrorists and nuke proliferation threats we could ask for stoked up and ready to go in our hemisphere.

Wear us out in the periphery. When we get tired of it and get an isolationist streak, go home and won't listen to pols telling us to go do yet another one, then they take Taiwan.

[JasonC]

War in the east, war in the west, war down south - no wait that is Bob Marley.

We've got the prize ring, everyone will take pokes at us forever or until it is gone, or we are. Only the dead have seen the end of war, says Plato.

[gondramB]

>>Wear us out in the periphery. When we get tired of it and get an isolationist streak, go home and won't listen to pols telling us to go do yet another one, then they take Taiwan.<<

Don't forget where are their biggest customer and buy lots more from them than they buy from us - that's works against taking Taiwan.

On the other hand, their domestic consumption is going way up cutting their total dependence on exports... so longer term maybe they think they will be able to take Taiwan.

[JasonC]

They don't give a rat's ass about our trade, they want world power.

Americans are still sleeping, thinking they can watch the plastering of their leaders and the neutering of their military and it won't come back and bite them. But our enemies are just beaming and their sights are being raised every minute. They've had the end of American empire brain storm and they will push and push until we hesitate - and then they will go for broke.

And likely go broke. But hell will be paid in the meantime.

[gondramB]

>>They don't give a rat's ass about our trade, they want world power.<<


At official exchange rates, exports to the U.S. approach the the total GDP of China. The actual figures aren't that bad because the official exchange rate isn't reasonable but any way you look at it, exports to the U.S. are at least a quarter of the total Chinese economy.

Its not reasonable to say China doesn't care about a quarter of their economy.

Economy and power are not as seperable as one might think.