Yesterday Chávez announced that Venezuela is in the process of acquiring an air defence system to cover all of Venezuela including the area up to 100km off it’s coast and that he had seen such systems in Belarus, Russia and Iran. What do you think, how many batteries of S-300s are necessary to cover all of Venezuela?
By: tphuang - 12th August 2006 at 20:16
The only problem for Chavez is that the waiting list for S-300’s is now 6 years….
which countries are waiting for the S-300s?
By: Arabella-Cox - 12th August 2006 at 20:06
It’s also a cover of approximately 0 sq.km against an F-22.
Around 60 km² depending on conditions is more realistic.
By: star49 - 12th August 2006 at 19:22
he only saw components of system at various places. is this represent detecting thermal signature of aircraft.
(From AP Worldstream)
Byline: JORGE RUEDA
Venezuela will install an advanced air-defense system with anti-aircraft missiles capable of shooting down approaching enemy warplanes, Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez said Thursday.
Chavez, who has repeatedly accused the United States of plotting to overthrow him, said the missiles would help defend the oil-rich country against any “aggression.”
“We’re going to acquire the most modern anti-aircraft defense system,” Chavez said during a televised speech in the coastal state of Falcon, where military planes and newly purchased Russian helicopters swooped overhead during a military parade. “We’re going to armor Venezuela.”
He said the air defense system would protect Venezuela from its Caribbean coast to its Amazon border with Brazil. He suggested he saw components that Venezuela will buy in visits to Russia, Belarus and Iran over the past week.
“The modern systems that we saw in Russia, Belarus and Tehran detect the target at 200 kilometers (125 miles). They come with missiles that go direct, guided by the heat of the planes that come,” Chavez said. “Venezuela will be armored to defend ourselves against any aggression.”
Flush with booming oil profits, Chavez has been spending heavily on Venezuela’s
military while warning the country must be prepared in case U.S. troops one day attempt an invasion. American officials dismiss the suggestions as preposterous, though U.S. President George W. Bush calls Chavez a threat to democracy in the region.
Chavez sealed a deal last week in Russia to buy 24 Sukhoi Su-30 fighter jets and 53 helicopters. Venezuelan Defense Minister Gen. Raul Baduel has said those new deals, plus the installation of factories to produce Kalashnikov rifles and ammunition, will cost on the order of US$3 billion (A2.4 billion).
The arms purchases have made Venezuela one of the top spenders on arms in Latin America and have made Russia the main supplier of weaponry to Venezuela.
Venezuela’s military already has begun receiving 100,000 Kalashnikov AK-103 rifles under a previous arms deal.
By: proudfoot - 11th August 2006 at 05:15
It’s also a cover of approximately 0 sq.km against an F-22.
By: mowers - 10th August 2006 at 17:24
The only problem for Chavez is that the waiting list for S-300’s is now 6 years….
By: Chrom - 10th August 2006 at 07:54
Given the fact that S-300PMU-1 cover 1800 sq.km. against aerial targets and the size of Venezuela is 882 050 sq.km. he will need just….490 coplex 🙂
Depends on how much money he want to spend,and which S-300 model he wants to buy.I just hope that he also aquire short range coplex like Tor or Tunguska(like Algeria).
1800 sq.km might be only against extremely, extremely low flying targets what use terrain obstacles . Against other targets it more like 100.000 sq.km. So, essencealy 8 S-300 would be enouth if we dont build redundant AD network.
By: iceHawk - 7th August 2006 at 21:40
Hell it could be an SA-3T. The ‘air defence system’ might be simply radars + ground control for the Su-30s and F-16s…
By: fabe - 7th August 2006 at 15:06
Chavez isn’t buying S-300s. Why? Because he can’t have seen them in Iran, as none of them are in Iran. He could be talking about an S-200 system, or he could be talking about an actual radar network to work with the Su-30s.
Actually it seems that you were right. Not the missiles but the radar seems to have a range of 125 miles (bad translation by a German newspaper), while the missiles will have a shorter range (possibly Tor M-1). I changed the name of the thread correspondingly.
By: Greenday1 - 7th August 2006 at 14:57
But how will they go maintaining and operating S-300 system?
How often will they get to test them?
Will they be willing to expose them to effective SEAD?‘You can buy all the best toys you want if you have the cash’!
‘But operating it effectively is another thing’!Most of the Arab countries have been doing this for decades know, but history has shown that they are unable to effectively operate them, without continued foreign (Soviet/East German at the time) assistance.
Regards
Pioneer
They have been operating F-16s since the early 80s, when the F-16A/B was considered quite an advanced aircraft, so you can give them some credit.
By: Pioneer - 7th August 2006 at 14:49
But how will they go maintaining and operating S-300 system?
How often will they get to test them?
Will they be willing to expose them to effective SEAD?
‘You can buy all the best toys you want if you have the cash’!
‘But operating it effectively is another thing’!
Most of the Arab countries have been doing this for decades know, but history has shown that they are unable to effectively operate them, without continued foreign (Soviet/East German at the time) assistance.
Regards
Pioneer
By: ELP - 6th August 2006 at 07:19
Which, given your location, sort of answers the question really!.
Forget the S-300’s buy a bunch of SA-15’s for point defence of sensitive sites – if the desire is to move away from the Rolands to Russian kit and spend the money on the Flankers.
Hi Jonesy,
SA-15 ? If his goal is to fend off the evil Yankee, that won’t do. SDB, JDAM etc from 30~40,000ft and miles away, will contempt-of-engagement that system to be not worth much.
By: Arabella-Cox - 6th August 2006 at 07:11
however, obviously, S300 needs to function as a component of a whole package IADS.
A good Integrated Air Defence System is like a good layer cake. The more layers the better, and the more sugar the better. The S-300 would certainly be a chocolate layer but being rich you can’t have too much chocolate in the cake or the customer will get sick. The radar vehicles that come with the S-300 system would in themselves create a pretty reasonable Radar network good enough for most modern countries. Locate the radars and SAMs near major infrastructure points… ie power stations, water supply, any dams, the capital city, major military bases, you air bases of course and a few around the areas you want to keep watch on. The radars just keeping watch for incoming external forces could make use of their mobile nature and be moved around at irregular times to different locations.
Buying Pantsir or Tor as backup systems would also be a good idea as would a large initial batch of Iglas with perhaps licence production of further examples to have a large supply ready when needed.
By: Jonesy - 6th August 2006 at 07:02
Which, given your location, sort of answers the question really!.
Forget the S-300’s buy a bunch of SA-15’s for point defence of sensitive sites – if the desire is to move away from the Rolands to Russian kit and spend the money on the Flankers.
By: Pit - 6th August 2006 at 05:23
IADS? In Venezuela?
Sort of Joke.
By: SOC - 6th August 2006 at 01:40
New? Probably not. But that doesn’t mean he couldn’t get a bunch of refurbished systems from Russia, provided they have some lying around in reserve or waiting to be disposed of.
By: sferrin - 5th August 2006 at 22:57
Chavez isn’t buying S-300s. Why? Because he can’t have seen them in Iran, as none of them are in Iran. He could be talking about an S-200 system, or he could be talking about an actual radar network to work with the Su-30s.
Can you even buy S-200s new off the line anymore?
By: SOC - 5th August 2006 at 22:55
Chavez isn’t buying S-300s. Why? Because he can’t have seen them in Iran, as none of them are in Iran. He could be talking about an S-200 system, or he could be talking about an actual radar network to work with the Su-30s.
By: sferrin - 5th August 2006 at 22:11
Purchase of S300 would almost be more significant then the purchase of the Su30MK.
I doubt the nutcase in charge down there even cares which makes the most sense from a military point of view. Flankers make more “noise” on the world stage and that’s all he’s really interested in. I’m surprised he didn’t just try to buy missiles from China or North Korea.
By: bring_it_on - 5th August 2006 at 22:07
It would be funny how the US media twists it over itself . Would be definately raised when discussions on the 60 raptors resume 🙂 . LMA officials probably are uncorking their bubly.
By: Jonesy - 5th August 2006 at 21:37
Potentially more important than a few Flankers thats for certain…however, obviously, S300 needs to function as a component of a whole package IADS. Does anyone know the status of the current air defence environment in Venezuela?.
What is their surveillance infrastucture like?. Do they have distributed, hardened SOC’s?. What capabilities do they have in terms of comms infrastructure to tie the batteries into the rest of the system etc?
If these kinds of questions can be answered then the value of the S-300 can be properly assessed.
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August 5, 2006 at 4:36 pm