Defesanet 03 Abril 2006
AP 03 Abril 2006

Venezuela's Chavez unveils Russian helicopters
as general says military to buy 30 more

JORGE RUEDA
The Associated Press

CARACAS, Venezuela - Three newly bought Russian-made helicopters whirled overhead at an aerial demonstration attended by President Hugo Chavez as a top general said Venezuela plans to buy 30 more for its military.

Chavez suggested the new helicopters would help Venezuela if the U.S. were one day to mount an attack.

''American imperialism is cowardly,'' Chavez said Monday, recalling the words of China's Mao Zedong that any empire ends up being a ''paper tiger.'' ''The helicopters that have begun flying in Venezuelan skies are like true steel tigers.'' He said the Mi-17 helicopters, mounted with rocket-launchers, will help Venezuelan troops as they train with a new emphasis on ''wars of resistance, anti-imperialist war.'' The U.S. government dismisses Chavez's claims of a possible invasion as ridiculous. But Chavez insists the oil-producing country must be prepared, citing a short-lived 2002 coup that briefly unseated him.

Chavez also said Venezuela was forced to scrap a deal to buy military planes from the Brazilian aircraft manufacturer Empresa Brasileira de Aeronautica SA, or Embraer, because the U.S. had opposed the transfer of U.S. technology used in the Super Tucano planes.

''The deal with Brazil fell through because the Brazilian company uses American technology,'' said Chavez, who has made clear Venezuela will look to buy planes from Russia and China if the U.S. continues trying to block such deals. ''Nobody will halt our obligation: the strengthening of the nation's armed force,'' Chavez said, adding that his arms deals are purely for defense and pose no international threat.

Army commander Gen. Raul Baduel said the military plans to buy a total of 20 Mi-17s, 10 Mi-35s and three Mi-26T from Russia to be used in defense as well as counter-drug patrols along the border with Colombia.

''This year, we should have 15 helicopters of the 33 that are expected in our country,'' Baduel told state television before paratroopers floated down from the helicopters at the event near San Felipe, some 155 kilometers (95 miles) west of Caracas.

Baduel's announcement was the first of plans to buy 33 Russian helicopters. Russia agreed to sell 15 to Chavez's government last year for US$201 million (euro169 million).

''Aside from Russia, no country in the world has this version of helicopters,'' Chavez said, adding it was impressive how 30 paratroopers had jumped from a single helicopter. ''Imagine when we have 50 (helicopters) and we have, I don't know, thousands of paratroopers jumping.'' U.S. officials call Chavez a destabilizing force in Latin America and argue that Venezuela's decision to buy arms from Russia was unnecessary.

Baduel said Venezuela's military also expects to receive 33,000 new assault rifles from Russia in May, out of a total for a total of 100,000 Kalashnikovs. The Kalashnikov AK-103 and AK-104 rifles would replace outdated Belgian FALs.