Venezuela Deploys Su-30 and F-16 Fighters For Joint Exercises Showing Force Against U.S.

The Venezuelan Air Force has deployed Su-30MK2 and F-16A/B fighter aircraft for a series of exercises, at a time of high tensions with the United States. New footage released on November 14 confirmed the drills had taken place, shortly following the deployment of the U.S. Navy’s largest warship, USS Gerald Ford, to the Caribbean region. This deployment us part of a much broader military buildup aimed at Caracas, as U.S. officials have repeatedly stated their intention to force a toppling of the government there. The footage has dispelled speculation from a number of Western sources that the Venezuelan fleet is large grounded, with multiple mixed formations of F-16s and Su-30s seen manoeuvring at medium altitudes, and executing turns, rejoins and formation changes. The Venezuelan fighter fleet, although having fallen far short of the ambitions of the Hugo Chavez administration in the 2000s and early 2010s, is nevertheless considered by far the most capable in Latin America. 

The Venezuelan F-16 fleet is considered largely obsolete, and does not have access to any types of beyond visual range armaments. The ageing avionics of the aircraft have made them among the least capable F-16s fielded anywhere in the world, and in visual range combat their lack of high off boresight targeting capabilities leaves them far outmatched by 21st century threats. The Su-30MK2, however, is considered the most capable fighter type in the Americas outside the U.S. Armed Forces, and is the longest ranged fighter type fielded on either of the two continents. The aircraft was considered state of the art when developed in the early 2000s, and integrates advanced long range communication systems, fly by wire controls, a glass cockpit, heads up display, helmet mounted sights, state of the art mission computers, and navigation systems capable of utilising both the GPS and GLONASS.

Compared to older Su-30 variants, the Su-30MK2 benefits from a new mission computer, communications systems, cockpit displays and the new Sokol radar, which can engage 50 percent more targets simultaneously and has a larger antenna array. It also benefits from the integration of electro-optical pods such as the Sapsan-E targeting pod and M400 reconnaissance pod. The fighters have been engaged in multiple shows of force against the U.S. Armed Forces in the Caribbean in recent months, with footage released on November 1 showing the aircraft on patrol armed with Kh-31 anti-ship missiles, the Venezuelan Armed Forces’ most formidable anti-ship asset, which can pose a potentially serious threat to U.S. Navy warships. In late September the Air Force deployed the fighters equipped with Kh-31 missiles as part of the Sovereign Caribbean 200 exercise on La Orchila Island, which saw combined air, sea, and land elements deploy in a significant show of force.