Belarus To Set Up Air Defense For Venezuela


By AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE
Published: 25 Mar 19:08 EDT (15:08 GMT)
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MINSK - Belarus will build an air defense system for Venezuela over the next six years, the deputy chief of the Belarusian general staff said March 25, according to the Interfax news agency.
"It is expected that over the next six years we will be able to supply Venezuela with an air defense system, complete with training experts and preparation of administrative staff," Gen. Pyotr Tikhonovsky said.
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"This will help us pursue our other interests in Venezuela too," the military official added.
Venezuela currently has no integrated air defense network, only separate anti-aircraft units and aircraft, he said.
Venezuela's President Hugo Chavez, a fierce foe of U.S. President George W. Bush, has made a priority of modernizing and expanding his oil-rich country's armed forces.
He has already bought significant numbers of aircraft and small arms from Russia, and has pledged solidarity with Belarus.
Western powers criticize the regime of Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko for imprisoning opposition leaders, preventing criticism in the state-controlled media and imposing severe restrictions on rallies.
The United States, which has dubbed Belarus "Europe's last dictatorship" recently imposed economic sanctions in protest at the country's human rights record.

Link
http://www.defensenews.com/story.php...69&c=AIR&s=AME

Birds of a feather...Set up triple A together. I guess. Yeah Hugo's modernizing alright but it's all on the military side.

This is all a Political move by Chavez because of the US coming down on a Belarus. His new found pledged of solidarity to Belarus is to piss off the US nothing more. Belarus makes nothing modern that I could find AD systems wise maybe they could end up as trainers as best.

Everything Hugo does is to torque off the US or so it seems. Belarus may not manufacture any gear but I bet they still have Soviet SAM-7's and ZSU 23-4's around. The question is what kind of condition they are in.

I'm sure those could be bought and are still effective up to a point. I'm thinking older SA-5 and SA-6, systems but I think it will be manpower/advisers on how to setup a Russian designed air defense network. You know the kind of network we can take out in out sleep while our jets never coming in range. Unless Russia sells newer systems opening arms talks with Belarus is purely to piss off the US.

The funny part about Belarus this Peruvian guy once told that the Peruvian AF liked the Mig-29 Fulcrums bought from them better then the (3) slightly newer SE models bought from Russia directly. He couldn't go into detail but there was some device or a piece of equipment on the Belarus Fulcrums not included on the Russian Fulcrums. I never found out what it was and Peru had to deal with Russia from that point on. He also said Peru was happy with Russia's services and work done on both Fulcrums and Frogfoot's and that Peru just ran out of money. No money no work and from there Peru's air force went down hill, basically all the money spent in 98/99 was wasted.

I still think Venezuela will make a Chinese arms purchase too down the road.

Oh I don't doubt a bit that Chavez will buy from China and China will sell. Now the question is could the Belarus personnel be able to train on the Chi-Com systems?

And is there a possibilty that Chavez is doing this with an eye towards Columbia or the Dutch Antillies?

Colombia has a lot more infantry but Venezuela has more of just about everything else except helicopters. I really think the US would help and Venezuela wouldn't just be allowed to walk in. If Colombia picks up JAS 39A and 39B to go along with the Kfir's it's going to get interesting in this region. Watch Chavez help Ecuador pick up jet and remember China's going to pick up the rights to that former US base in Ecuador. What a good time for Chinese imports to start flowing into the region. Ecuador could provide China with a west coast loading facilities for there tankers too so they can avoid the canal. If Ecuador wanted to get nasty they could not sell there normal 190,000 per day barrels of oil to US and sell to China, who would gladly buy wouldn't you think?

A mix bag of news I'm working on
If Colombia has a imminent need for additional fighters Sweden can deliver JAS 39A and 39B jets almost instantly from a planned surplus inventory. Conversion training is the main delaying factor. The latest version 39C and 39D models would likely take roughly 2 years before delivery.

NEWS
The Swedish Inspectorate of Strategic Products has given Saab the permission to enter negotiations with Colombia for the sale of ERIEYE AEW&C. It's not a final export permit but on that path.

= 14.45 local time today Santos Calderon lands in Stockholm for 5 days visit. Visit has been hold secret but the aim is to buy Saab-39, several appointments with SAAB and Ericsson has been booked.

* When it all comes together I'll provide links and full stories for now just hearing rumors and small stuff like above. If you see anything on Colombia buying A/B Gripens please post it. I think this has a good chance of happening. I don't usually do cut and paste like this I will follow this up with the real stories.

Some how I think China is behind most of what Chavez is doing. I just don't think he could come up with all of this on his own.

You might be onto something I did a little looking around and found this. If I were Russia I might not want them in my back yard.

Quote

What Belarus Does Offer China
Belarus does possess one important asset that China desperately seeks - a location in the heart of Europe. With a boarder that includes Russia on the east, Ukraine in the south, Poland in the west, Lithuania in the northwest, and Latvia in the north, Belarus offers China the perfect European incubator for government sponsored activities that include spying, espionage and intelligence gathering.
In essence, Belarus could become a “virtual beehive” of Chinese sponsored covert activity. Such activities are already hallmarks of Chinese foreign policy in countries such as Australia, Canada, Germany and the U.S. With Belarus as a strong European ally in an undeclared war against U.S. global influence, covert activities could take hold across continental Europe, eventually giving China access to confidential information and technology necessary to modernize many of its more clandestine domestic industries.


Link to full story
http://www.inthenationalinterest.com...eck,JrPFV.html

More China Belarus
http://www.belaruschina.by/en/news/2008/jan/10jan

If permitted to take root, this would immediately compromise the already fragile U.S. backed arms embargo against China, placing Europe’s fledgling democracies and U.S. national security in almost certain jeopardy.

IMHO. It just makes strategic sense from the ChiCom stand point.

The US is bogged down in the Mid East. We are dealing with the smallest military we have ever had to conduct a major extended combat operation (s).

They gain a lodgement in Ecuador and have a gateway to South and Central America. This gives them opportunity to create pipelines for arms to all the various sundry Marxist/Communist insurgent groups operating there.

Correao, Morales and Chavez are all on basically the same page in Fidel's and Che's Socialist Revolutionary OP-Order. They will give tit for tat if the get the proper support. And they would have no problem being the conduit for arms and advisors to spread "revolution" throughout the region.

If it can kick off to their and the ChiCom advantage then China has first crack at the resources available in the region. It bears serious watching.