Venezuela's Military Put Its Russian Fighter Jets On Display To Intimidate Trump & The US

Venezuela showed off its armed forces, including its Sukhoi Su-30 "Flanker" fighter jets, during military exercises in the Caribbean this week. The presence of these Su-30 jets, originally from Russia, could be seen as a not-so-subtle attempt to intimidate United States forces and by extension President Donald Trump. The United States and Venezuela have been at odds as the U.S. steps up military action against suspected drug cartels coming out of Venezuela. The country's show of force looks like a way to intimidate the United States in response.

The Caribbean is getting more crowded with military equipment, and the presence of Venezuelan Sukhois is nothing to sneeze at. The Sukhoi Su-30 "Flanker" is a highly maneuverable fighter jet that excels at air-to-air combat but can also be used for land or ship attacks. This twin-engine aircraft was originally designed to compete with jets like the Grumman F-14 Tomcat and the legendary F-15 Eagle. Altogether, Russia has a large fleet of Sukhoi Su-30 fighter jets, but other countries fly them as well, including China, India, Myanmar, Algeria, and numerous others.

Perhaps more concerning than the presence of the jets themselves is the armaments they are carrying. The Su-30s are equipped with Kh-31 "Krypton" anti-ship missiles. The Kh-31, which uses a shaped charge warhead to disable or sink ships, can be fitted to a number of different Russian-manufactured fighter jets. These missiles can operate at extremely fast speeds — up to Mach 4.5 — which makes them difficult to intercept.

In addition to the fighter jets, Venezuela also dispatched 12 naval ships, 20 boats, and more than a dozen other aircraft. All in all, the Bolivarian National Air Force of Venezuela has a total of 21 Sukhois in inventory, although some of those might not be operational. It is likely no coincidence that Venezuela's Sukhois are carrying modern Russian anti-ship missiles near United States Navy vessels in the Atlantic theater. As it stands, the Trump administration has yet to say what military action, if any, it could take in response. However, some F-35 fighter jets and other aircraft were recently seen arriving at the former Roosevelt Roads military base Puerto Rico.