Airborne Combat Engineer

Venezuela one of Russia's best customers

Last year Chavez signed agreements for the purchase of Russian-made helicopter gunships, fighter aircraft, and small arms for a total of $3 billion.

Recently, Venezuela has placed a preliminary order for five advanced diesel-electric submarines with Rosoboronexport, Russia's arms export company. The submarines will be of the Project 877EKM or Varshavyanka series, known in the West as the Kilo class.

Reportedly, Chavez is also negotiating with Russia for the purchase of an advanced air-defense system.

NP / Defense Tech

Chavez nationalizes foreign oil projects

CARACAS, Venezuela - President Hugo Chavez ordered by decree on Monday the takeover of oil projects run by foreign oil companies in Venezuela's Orinoco River region.

"The privatization of oil in Venezuela has come to an end," he said on his weekday radio show, "Hello, President." "This marks the true nationalization of oil in Venezuela."

By May 1, "we will occupy these fields" and have the national flag flying on them, he said.

[AP]

Saab to stop arms sales to Venezuela

[LINK] DID

A BBC report notes that the Saab Group will no longer sell weapons to Venezuela as of October 1, 2006. This is being done in compliance with American restrictions on the transfer of weapons to Venezuela that contain components made in the US... and implicitly, by companies that wish to continue to sell to the US military.

Sometimes it works.

Arms buildup (with Iranian ties) in South America

[LINK] Defense Industry Daily

There have been a series of reports from a number of sources that Venezuela has finalized a deal with Russian arms manufacturers. Those reports have now shifted the total from $1 billion to around $3 billion, and expand its focus beyond SU-30MK2 (Mnogafunctunali Kommercial 2-seat) long-range multi-role fighters and various Russian helicopters to include other equipment as well. The final deal is reportedly still being negotiated.

And we're faced with photos of Chavez and Ahmadinejad all but hugging each other.

[LINK] NCR-Iran

Just what we needed! Arms buildup just to the south of us.