Only 2nd Country With Su-30 & F-16 Combo! How Did Venezuela Acquire Both Fighting Falcons & Flankers?

By
Sakshi Tiwari
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Venezuela’s use of F-16 Fighting Falcons to project power against the US Navy appears to be a cinematic storyline. While the two are bitter adversaries now, there was a time when the US trusted Venezuela enough to arm it with the world’s most potent 4th-generation fighter.

Venezuelan F-16 fighters flew near the USS Jason Dunham, a US Navy destroyer, for the second time in two days. The incident took place in international waters after two F-16s flew over the same ship on the previous day.

The flight has been described as a “game of chicken” by US Defense Department officials.

The second “show of force” conducted by the F-16 comes as the US and Venezuela are embroiled in tensions over the American military buildup in the South Caribbean for anti-narcotics operations.

The Trump administration claims that drugs originating from Venezuela are funnelled into the US, and has accused  the Venezuelan President, Nicholas Maduro, of being “one of the world’s largest drug traffickers in the world.”

The tensions peaked earlier this month when the US military conducted an unprecedented strike on a vessel that it claimed originated from Venezuela. The operation was characterized as a narco-trafficking bust against members of the Tren de Aragua gang.

However, its legality has been questioned on the premise that drug cartels are usually rounded up by the Coast Guard, not fired upon by US aircraft.

It was this strike that triggered an angry response from Caracas and resulted in the first flight of F-16s over the US Navy warship.

Nicholas Maduro called the strike an “illegal massacre,” as recently reported by the EurAsian Times. Now that the US is allegedly deploying the fifth-generation F-35 Lightning II to take part in anti-narcotics operations, it might even lead to a possible engagement between the US F-35 and the US-origin F-16.

It is pertinent to note that of the 25 countries that currently operate the F-16, only Venezuela is seen as an adversary by the United States. 

It is nearly amusing that one of the most combat-hardened 4th-generation aircraft produced by the United States is operated by its top adversary in its backyard.

However, this is not the first time. For instance, Iran operates the American F-14 Tomcat despite being the only US adversary in the Middle East. Similarly, several former Soviet states continue to operate older Soviet fighter jets, despite their current hostility towards Russia.

This is, perhaps, why US President Donald Trump said that while he would be open to exporting the F-47 sixth-generation aircraft to allies, it would be a toned-down version of the aircraft. Speaking to the press, he said, “We like to tone them down about 10 percent, which probably makes sense because someday maybe they’re not our allies, right?” 

The Curious Case Of Venezuelan F-16s

The United States and Venezuela were friends before they became adversaries. This friendship started when the US recognized Venezuela as an independent nation in 1835.

The two sides signed a commercial treaty the following year. Within a few years, the bonhomie between them grew so strong that Washington supported Venezuela during the 1895 boundary dispute with Britain over British Guiana.

When large oil reserves were discovered in Venezuela at the beginning of the 20th century, US oil firms were granted substantial concessions by the then-Venezuelan dictator, Juan Vicente Gómez, strengthening ties. Following this, the South American country became a key oil supplier to the US, and this economic relationship fostered cooperation. 

During the Cold War, Venezuela was seen as a stable, democratic ally in South America that was able to escape the communist influences that affected other regional countries like Cuba. It was viewed as a model for democracy and economic progress, supported by its oil wealth, which positioned the US as its largest trading partner.

It was during this period of cooperation that the Venezuelan Air Force sought to modernize its fleet in a bid to counter potential Soviet-backed threats in the region, particularly from Cuba, which operated MiG-21 and MiG-23 aircraft at the time.

Following an evaluation of multiple fighters, such as the Swedish JA-37 Viggen, French Mirage 50 and 2000, and Israeli Kfir C.7, Venezuela chose the F-16  based to its advanced capabilities.

Venezuela acquired F-16 fighter jets through a Foreign Military Sales agreement with the United States in May 1982, under the “Peace Delta” program. The deal included 16 single-seat F-16A and eight two-seat F-16B aircraft, all built to the Block 15 standard.

File:Venezuelan Air Force General Dynamics F-16A Fighting Falcon (401) Lofting-1.jpg - Wikimedia Commons
Venezuelan Air Force General Dynamics F-16A Fighting Falcon- Wikimedia Commons

Initially, Venezuela was offered a downgraded F-16/79 variant with a less-powerful General Electric J79 engine that powered the F-14 Tomcat at the time, in line with Jimmy Carter’s stringent export regulations.

This variant was meant for international customers who were not close allies of the US. However, Venezuela rejected this variant, and a shift in US policy under the Reagan administration allowed the sale of standard F-16s.

The delivery occurred between 1983 and 1985 along with 150 AIM-9L/P-4 Sidewinder missiles, and the jets replaced aging French Mirage III interceptors and Mirage 5 ground-attack aircraft. 

This acquisition became a source of national pride for Venezuela, as no other country in the entire region possessed a comparable jet.

Venezuela was the first country in the South American region to acquire the F-16. It was the only operator of this combat-hardened jet in the region for about twenty years, until Chile bought the aircraft. It would take much longer for another country, Argentina, to buy the used F-16 from Denmark.

During the November 1992 coup launched by military officers loyal to Hugo Chávez, Venezuelan F-16s were used. The coup failed, and the government-backed F-16 pilots were credited with at least three aerial kills in F-16s. 

During this period of unrest, an F-16 was deployed to counter a rebel-operated OV-10 Bronco used for light attack and observation. The F-16, equipped with a 20mm M61A1 Vulcan cannon, engaged and shot down the rebel aircraft.

Video evidence from the 16th Fighter Air Group showed the F-16’s firing run, resulting in the Bronco’s destruction.

When Hugo Chávez took office as president in 1999, the Venezuelan F-16 fleet’s position underwent a significant shift, and the nation soon developed strong military ties with China and Russia, much to the US’s discomfort.

The US responded with an Arms Embargo.

Angry about the arms embargo, Chavez once threatened to sell the F-16s and their sensitive equipment to Iran at a tense period in his relationship with the United States.

After Chávez died in 2013, Nicolás Maduro continued his mentor’s policies, consolidating power through increasingly authoritarian measures.

The US criticized Maduro’s government for human rights abuses, corruption, and fraudulent elections, particularly the 2018 presidential vote, which was widely deemed illegitimate. It has since accused the regime of peddling drugs into the US by giving direct support to big cartels.

As tensions rose, there was no way Venezuela would get any support for its F-16 fleet. So, it turned to Israel, which has since supplied new equipment for the aircraft.

Reports suggest that there are only a handful of operational F-16s in Venezuela’s fleet now. In addition to the F-16s, the country also operates approximately 21 Sukhoi Su-30MK2 fighter jets that it acquired from Russia.

Interestingly, only Indonesia and Venezuela operate both U.S. and Russian origin fighter jets — Fighting Falcons and Flankers.

Poland operates 48 F-16s but has no Su-30s, relying instead on MiG-29s and Su-22s for other roles. Malaysia operates Su-30MKMs but does not operate F-16s, instead using Boeing F/A-18 Hornets. 

According to some reports, in March 2024, an F-16A from the 16th Air Combat Group “Dragons” shot down an unidentified aircraft that was deemed hostile due to its lack of a flight plan and authorization to fly in Venezuelan territory.

The Bolivarian Military Aviation, as the Air Force is called, also released cockpit footage showing a column of black smoke, presumably from the downed aircraft, highlighting the F-16’s role in air defense.

Now, the aircraft’s engagement with the US military shows that the game for these old Fighting Falcons is far from over despite the US arms embargo and sanctions.

 

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