Venezuela's Minister of Defense, Vladimir Padrino López, stated this Sunday that the South American country has enhanced the operational autonomy of the Integrated Air Surveillance and Control System amidst tensions with the United States, which maintains a military deployment in the Caribbean under the pretext of combating drug trafficking.
«The Bolivarian National Armed Forces (FANB) recognize as one of their greatest achievements having reached an admirable level of technological independence and strengthening, even in the midst of a criminal economic blockade, coercive sanctions, and the most grotesque bellicist escalation by the U.S.», said Padrino López in a statement published on Instagram.
The official stated that instead of intimidating, these «hostile circumstances» have strengthened operational autonomy and the creation of own means that «strengthen the national defensive power».
«With its modern radars, missile systems, anti-aircraft artillery, and the use of aircraft in close coordination with the Bolivarian Military Aviation, the Integrated Air Defense Command (CODAI) has become a vanguard in the comprehensive defense of the nation», he added.
Airspace, a priority for Venezuela
On Friday, Venezuela's Defense Minister denounced an intimidation attempt by the United States with the overflight of F-18 fighter jets, which last Tuesday entered the airspace of the Gulf of Venezuela, as shown by the aviation tracking service Flightradar24.
During an event for the 47th anniversary of CODAI, broadcast on the state channel Venezolana de Televisión (VTV), Padrino López stated that this action will not break the FANB or the Venezuelan people.
«We have the capacity to react and defend our airspace, do not be mistaken and do not continue with your psychological operations game that we do not swallow at all, in any way», he reiterated then.
On Tuesday, two U.S. F-18 fighter jets entered, as shown by the aviation tracking service Flightradar24, the airspace over the waters of the Gulf of Venezuela for about 40 minutes.
The two aircraft, identified as two F-18 F variant, which are two-seaters, made several passes in a spiral pattern before flying north to a point located about 50 kilometers west of Aruba, where the U.S. aircraft carrier USS Gerald Ford, the largest and most sophisticated in the U.S., is presumed to be.
The Pentagon sent the vessel to the region a few weeks ago, joining a huge contingent that Washington has maintained in the Caribbean since the end of August and which constitutes its largest deployment in the region in decades, under the pretext of combating drug trafficking, but which Caracas considers a threat to foment a government change.
