Is Chavez to give Lukashenka oil in exchange to arms?

• 22.03.2010, 14:55

Sale of military technologies and armaments was one of the aims of the visit of the Belarusian rukler to Caracas, Belarusian mass media state.

Addressing the National Assembly of Venezuela on March 16, Alyaksandr Lukashenka promised his Venezuelan colleague Hugo Chavez to share experience of creation of a defense system of the state. The system would allow Chavez not to fear any even most powerful enemy, "Belorusy i rynok" newspaper infroms.

According to some military experts, the matter could concern creation of an integrated defense system in Venezuela, which would include air-defense, electronic warfare and couterweapons to precision weapons.

Proceeding from this supposition, and from numerous statements by the Venezuelan leader, a conclusion could be made about what kinds of weapons and defense eqcuipment Caracas plans to buy from Minsk.

Thus, in January 2008 before his visit to Belarus Hugo Chavez stated that one of the main aims of his visit would be coordination of details of the contract for buying air defense complex system. It was to include rdar and anti-aircraft missiles.

The complex air defense system is to have an automated control system of Tor-1 M type, which is at the moment a kind of ilnellectual core of the air defense of Belarus.

A mobile radar "Vostok" could become an important element of Venezuelan air defense. It can detect B-52 bombers at a distance of 255 km. The new mobile radar can detect not only F-16 fighters, but planes created under "STEALTH" technology.

As for anti-aircraft missile weapons, a number of analysts believe that Belarusian military industrial complex can offer the Venezulean army original versions of upgraded S-125 and S-200 missile systems.