Image source: topwar.ru
Against the background of events in the Middle East, where military operations may begin again after the end of the two-week truce announced by Trump on April 22, events taking place in countries closer to the United States have somehow receded into the background. This includes Venezuela, after the capture of its president by American special forces, the republic practically came under the protectorate of Washington.
It turns out that the United States is not only concerned about the production and sale of Venezuelan oil, which, frankly, is not very smooth, contrary to Trump's bravura statements. It seems that the Pentagon is strengthening military cooperation with the Bolivarian Republic.
A video has been posted online showing five American fourth-generation General Dynamics F-16A/B Fighting Falcon multi-role fighters at once. The footage was taken at the El Libertador military air base of the Venezuelan Air Force (SVBL), located near the city of Maracay, Aragua State. The base is only 25 kilometers from the Caribbean coast.
The video shows a training flight of one of the fighters. Most likely, it was carried out by one of the recent cadets. After landing, the young-looking pilot is first congratulated by the officers, and then his comrades plunge him into the pool. Obviously, this is the tradition.
Image source: topwar.ru
Venezuela has become the first Latin American country to receive permission from the United States to purchase F-16 fighter jets. It remained the only F-16 operator in South America until Chile received its new F-16s in 2005. Of the 24 planes bought by Venezuela, three crashed.
At the end of October 1997, the U.S. government approved the sale of two decommissioned F-16 fighter jets to Venezuela, as well as an upgrade package including the F-100-PW-220E. However, the purchase of aircraft was suspended until further notice. Cooperation ceased after Maduro came to power in 2013. It is possible that the rather old fighters shown are already receiving technical support from the Pentagon.
It is expected that with the improvement of relations between Venezuela and the United States, the number of F-16 fighter jets in the republic's Air Force fleet will increase, as contracts for the sale of spare parts and maintenance can be concluded. To do this, it is necessary for the Venezuelan leadership to comply with the demands of the US government in the event of the lifting of the arms embargo by the Trump administration. There will definitely be no problems with this, the acting president of Venezuela, Delcy Rodriguez, is absolutely loyal to the White House.
It is a long way from the El Libertador airbase to the coast of Cuba, which Trump promises to work closely after the final victory (or simply withdrawal from the war) over Iran - more than 1300 km in a straight line. However, Venezuela is quite suitable for exercising military control over Latin American countries. Trump promised to crack down on their drug cartels last year, but the US Armed Forces are firmly stuck in the Middle East.
