Amid an unprecedented flare-up between the United States and Venezuela, and as Trump openly threatens a landing of American troops in the country to overthrow the Maduro government, mercenaries of Wagner together with... Russian weapons are reported to have landed in Caracas.
And this is because a Russian transport aircraft Il-76 of unknown cargo landed yesterday 26/10 in the capital of Venezuela.
However, as American media emphasize, the famed Ilyushin 76 is known for extensive transport of Russian mercenary groups, especially in cases of specialized, secret missions.
The Ilyushin of special missions and the traces of Wagner in Venezuela
The Ilyushin Il-76 aircraft, known for its connection to “difficult” missions, departed on 22 October from Moscow.
During its route it made stops in Yerevan, Algiers, Rabat, Dakar and Nouakchott.
It is noteworthy that this particular airline is already under sanctions for transporting cargo on behalf of Wagner, as well as for transporting weapons and ammunition to Venezuela and Africa.
The... strange route of the Russian Ilyushin Il-76 and the chaos scenarios
The Russian military transport aircraft type Il-76TD, owned by Aviakon Zitotrans, landed in Venezuela carrying unknown cargo.
According to data from FlightRadar24, the aircraft took off from Russia on 22 October and followed a route with multiple stops in Armenia, Algeria, Morocco, Senegal and Mauritania before reaching its final destination in South America.
It is recalled that Aviakon Zitotrans has been under U.S. sanctions since January 2023. Washington had accused the company of cooperating with the Russian defense industry and transporting military material, including cargo to Venezuela.
Russian analyst Igor Korotchenko had clarified that the Moscow–Caracas cooperation concerns economic agreements and does not imply military assistance in the event of a Venezuela–United States conflict, stressing that this relationship differs significantly from Russia’s close strategic connection with North Korea.
The Kremlin’s actions, as well as the capabilities of the Ilyushin, reveal two possible scenarios:
Delivery of weapons systems: Transport of weapons of any type from Russia and Africa to Venezuela.
The Il-76 can carry up to 50 tons, cargo enough for missions of light weapons.
Deployment of mercenaries: The use of mercenaries linked to the former Wagner group. After all, this specific Russian-made aircraft can carry 100–200 people.
If the American invasion eventually takes place and the Russian supply concerns manpower, the United States will face Wagner fighters who have gained combat experience in Africa, Syria and Ukraine, and are equipped with FPV drones (first-person-view unmanned aircraft).
It should be noted that the transport Il-76 cannot carry a full battery of heavy weapons, like the S-400, which would require multiple flights.
Of course, “Putin may also be sending a few thousand Russian babushkas to Venezuela, we do not know,” American media emphasize — a phrase that underlines the veil of mystery around the exact cargo and Russia’s purposes at the current stage of tensions between the Trump and Maduro governments...
A powerful Russian missile is the... reason the U.S. hesitates to attack Venezuela
Despite threats and the provocative stance of the American leadership, Washington has not yet attacked Venezuela, for fear of a strong attack from Russian air-launched missiles, as reported by the American publication The War Zone (TWZ), which published a detailed investigation.
The report points out that even the conventional air-to-surface guided missiles Kh-31, which Moscow has long supplied to Caracas and which are launched from the Russian-made fighters Su-30MK2V of the Venezuelan Air Force, constitute a threat.
Officially it is not known whether Venezuela has also received the anti-radar missiles Kh-31P and the anti-ship Kh-31A.
However, it is considered likely that Caracas also possesses such munitions, since it is logical for its fighters to have a full range of air weapons to respond to various challenges.
The aforementioned Kh-31A missiles are equipped with an active radar-homing seeker (GHS) with a target detection range of about 30 kilometers.
The seeker operates both in the pre-launch target acquisition mode and post-launch.
The missile also features a radio altimeter, which ensures precise flight in a low-altitude trajectory over the surface of the water.
All variants of the Kh-31 are equipped with a ramjet engine to maintain sustained supersonic speed.
Ideal for attack on American cruisers is the Russian Kh-31
Additionally, the Kh-31A missile carries a penetrating warhead designed to guarantee penetration into the side of a ship and the subsequent detonation inside the hull.
The missile is extremely difficult to shoot down, as it is capable of “multi-axis maneuvers with acceleration up to 15G during skimming over the waves” and accelerates to Mach 1.8.
In its most advanced version, the Kh-31AD, it can strike a ship at a range of 75–100 nautical miles.
The article noted that the U.S. Navy once purchased a version of the missile from Russia to test the air defense of its ships.
The resulting target missile was known as the MA-31 — based on the Kh-31A, but without the seeker, the warhead or the radio altimeter (according to other sources, with an American radio altimeter) — to simulate supersonic missiles during tests of anti-aircraft missile and gun systems, as well as to practice countering supersonic missile attacks by air/rocket defense crews.
The target missile flew in a low-altitude trajectory to simulate anti-ship missiles, and in a high-altitude trajectory to simulate anti-radar missiles.
Consequently, American admirals know very well the nature of these Russian munitions.
The United States Navy operating near the coasts of Venezuela takes this threat very seriously.
www.bankingnews.gr
Σχόλια αναγνωστών