26.04.2006, 17:42
Zitat:Chinese, Russian sales looming in Venezuela[End of non-subscriber extract.]
By José Higuera JDW Correspondent
Santiago
The Venezuelan Air Force is considering the procurement of a number of Sukhoi Su-25 ground attack aircraft, sources in Caracas have told Jane's.
The new plans were devised after a project to buy up to 24 Brazilian-made Embraer A-29 Super Tucano light attack aircraft stalled under a threat from the US government to block the transfer to Venezuela of any components and parts made in, or licensed from, the US.
Talks are said to be under way with Russia's defence export agency Rosoboronexport, which is trying to tie the Su-25 offer to the sale of a batch of Sukhoi Su-27SMs. According to Venezuelan sources, negotiations involve the procurement of 14 Su-25s and 12 Su-27s.
Sources in Caracas also told Jane's that Venezuela is close to a deal for the acquisition of a new Chinese national defence communications system network. The system would be satellite based and have powerful encryption, as well as other strong security capabilities.
The full version of this article is accessible through subscription services. Please refer to the box at <!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="http://www.janes.com/defence/news/jdw/jdw060424_1_n.shtml">http://www.janes.com/defence/news/jdw/j ... _1_n.shtml</a><!-- m -->
for details.