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Hugo's purchase of Russian arms to exceed $9.4 billion
During his visit to Venezuela last week, Russia's Prime Minister Vladimir Putin did not mention Venezuela's interest in purchasing weapons, but as soon as he arrived in Moscow, the top Russian official said that Hugo Chavez's government intends to buy military hardware worth USD 5 billion.

"A Russian delegation has just returned from Venezuela, a country that intends to buy Russian arms worth more than USD 5 billion," Putin said at a meeting devoted to the development of the military-industrial sector, reported Russian news agency Ria Novosti.

With the amount disclosed by Prime Minister Putin, Venezuela will have spent about USD 9.4 billion in Russian military equipment.

Purchases include 24 Sukhoi jet fighters, 100,000 Kalashnikov assault rifles, 53 multi-functional and combat helicopters and portable rocket launchers.

According to Russian military sources consulted by Interfax news agency, the Venezuelan government has also plans to buy three diesel-electric Varshavianka-class submarines, 92 T-72 tanks, several dozens of BMP-3 armored vehicles, 10 Mi-28N combat helicopters, an undisclosed number of Il-114 patrol airplanes, an unspecified number of Smerch multiple rocket launchers, and S-300PMU-2 Favorit, Antey-2500 and Tor-M2E air defense systems.
All of this stuff was considered current a while back. In some cases, a long while back. Hugo knows that even if his military knew how to use all of this equipment to their best advantage, it wouldn't matter in a fight against the U.S. So either the weapons are to be used against his neighbors, or against his own people.
I vote for his own people. He hasn't proved very successful against anyone else, as far as I recall.
Military sources further mentioned Venezuela's interest in Mirazh patrol boats, Murena-E marine landing craft and coastal artillery mobile systems, capable to destroy vessels at distances of up to 130 kilometers.

Among other deals, Moscow is negotiating with Caracas the sale of several dozens of An-148 cargo/passenger and cargo transportation airplanes. Chavez has already announced the purchase of at least one Be-200 amphibious aircraft to fight forest fires.

Putin confirmed that Moscow granted Caracas a USD 2.2 billion loan to purchase arms, out of the USD 5 billion the government of President Hugo Chavez is willing to expend to buy Russian arms.

"The weapons contracts will be placed with leading Russian defense-industry enterprises, including IzhMash," said on Monday the Russian head of government.
Posted by: Steve White 2010-04-07
http://www.rantburg.com/poparticle.php?ID=294146