Venezuela Test Fires Russian Missiles From Sukhoi, Battleship By Daniel Cancel
June 6 (Bloomberg) -- Venezuela's military fired its first test missile from a recently acquired Russian Sukhoi fighter jet and launched its first seaborne missile in 13 years, showcasing new capabilities in exercises carried live on state television.
The missiles hit targets described as ``two ships gone adrift'' 36 kilometers (22.4 miles) from the shore, Defense Minister Gustavo Rangel Briceno said. President Hugo Chavez, who in May said he personally would fire the first missile from a Sukhoi, didn't attend today's joint Navy-Air Force exercises. Cameras on the beach at Orchila Island broadcast the tests.
Venezuela spent $4.4 billion in weapons purchases from 2003 to 2006 to modernize its armed forces, according to a report by the U.S. Congressional Research Service. Chavez has bought most of his new weapons from Russia after the U.S. refused to sell Venezuela F-16 jet replacement parts in 2005. He has denied being in an arms race, saying the country is threatened by the U.S. and is simply strengthening its defense systems.
``Our defense policy is oriented toward preserving our territorial integrity,'' Defense Minister Gustavo Rangel Briceno said in comments broadcast by state television. ``The missiles hit their target showing the operational capacity of the armed forces.''
Frigates
The joint exercise between the Air Force and ships from the Antonio Diaz naval base on Orchila Island, about 180 kilometers north of Caracas, tested Russian-made KH 59 and KH 29 air-to- surface missiles, and a 500 kilo KAB television-guided bomb, according to an e-mailed statement from the Information Ministry.
The Venezuelan Navy is expecting to refurbish two frigates, a transport ship and a submarine by December, and will receive the first of eight military patrol ships being built in Spain next year, said General Zahin Quintana Castro, the head of the Navy.
The exercises took place on the same island where on May 17 a U.S. Navy S-3 aircraft was detected in Venezuelan airspace by local authorities while flying over the military base. The U.S. Defense Department said the pilot had experienced navigational problems and was guided back to international airspace.
The incident caused Chavez to accuse the U.S. of spying on the base and trying to test Venezuela's reaction capacity.
The U.S. Navy will reactivate its Fourth Fleet to patrol the Caribbean on July 1, disbanded in 1950, in support of counter-terrorism operations. Defense Minister Briceno said the reactivation represents a ``sovereign decision by the U.S. but is a threat to the Caribbean and the entire region,'' Briceno said.
To contact the reporter on this story: Daniel Cancel in Caracas at dcancel@bloomberg.net.
Source
http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601086&sid=aCaqEiHYmBk8&refer=latin_america
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