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Venezuela to Buy Tanks, Jets, Anti-Aircraft Systems in Russia
Venezuela will proceed with buying in Russia the jets and anti-aircraft systems and set to the purchase of tanks, Centre for Analysis of Strategies and Technologies Director Ruslan Pukhov told RIA Novosti Thursday.
In time of his recent visit to Moscow, Venezuela’s President Hugo Chavez has probably agreed on buying anti-aircraft systems, combat and transport jets and tanks.
“More likely than not, the matter at stake is the acquisition of Igla man-portable surface-to-air missiles, combat and transport aircraft of Il-76 type and T-90 tanks,” Pukhov supposed, reminding that Venezuela’s contract with Sweden’s SAAB was ruined under the U.S. pressure and Caracas staked on Russia to make up for the loss.
What’s more, the U.S. embargo on military and technical cooperation with Venezuela creates big problems with maintenance of Lockheed C-130s that are in its army’s inventory. But Russia has Il-76s, which it planned to sell to China. The contract for supplying these jets hasn’t taken effect due to technical problems, Pukhov said.
The T-90 tanks of Russia could be of interest to Venezuela just because they are the world's best in terms of the price-to-quality ratio, the expert concluded.
Military and engineering turnover of Russia and Venezuela may step up to $5 billion in the nearest ten years, Pukhov projected earlier, reasoning that, nowadays, Russia is the single source of advanced armament supplies to that state of Latin America.
www.kommersant.com
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