The drums of war sound increasingly louder in the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela. Increased with each operation and extrajudicial murder, supposedly, to hit members of drug trafficking gangs like him. The Venezuelan president, Nicolás Maduro, has once again spoken out about the White House announcement that there will be deployment on land and on the ground. He has done so by leaving a message for Trump, saying that they have about 5,000 missiles ready and prepared. And “good aim.”
In the midst of the US bombing offensive on ships on the Caribbean coast – with whose president, Gustavo Petro, Trump has had his last conflict -, Maduro has continued to delve into the language of war and harangues the civilian population to continue to swell in fear of the umpteenth coup d’état in South America sponsored by Washington.
“Nothing more and nothing less than 5,000 [misiles] in key positions”
Nicolás Maduro, president of Venezuela
True to his rhetoric and sarcastic style, Maduro has addressed the nation in statements to the state public broadcaster, talking about what becomes a key weapon in the face of a hypothetical US intervention and the announced deployment of US fighter planes and drones in the region. “Any military force in the world knows the power of the Igla-S. Venezuela has no more and no less than 5,000 in key anti-aircraft defense positions to guarantee peace, stability and tranquility,” he said, to leave a quite clarifying phrase: “He who understood, understood.” But, beyond the willingness to pull the trigger, what is an Igla-S?
File image of the president of Venezuela, Nicolás Maduro, wearing a bow and a feathered headdress.
Igla-S: a versatile Russian solution against the enemy in the sky
One of the keys that the modern war is showing, with Ukraine as the great weapons testing ground, is the need to have effective weapons against drones and other similar devices. But this cannot diminish the capabilities to face a traditional bombardment with missiles or discharges and transport of troops from other types of air vehicles such as combat helicopters. Venezuela chose Igla-S as a solution to this paradigm.
It is an anti-aircraft defense missile of post-Soviet manufacture, the evolution of that weapon until reaching the . It is the improved model of the 9K38 Igla that entered service back in 2008 and is popularly nicknamed ‘Super Igla’. It is a bazooka-type rocket launcher, but it carries an anti-aircraft defense missile – as a battery would do collectively, but in a smaller size and magnitude. Although it may seem rudimentary or scarce, we are talking about a portable device, easy to transport and handle with the following capabilities.
It can deal with any type of aerial target, with the exception of targets that exceed sound capabilities. It does not weigh 12 kilos, but it is capable of hitting targets at a distance of 6 kilometers and at a maximum altitude of 3,500 meters, with a maximum speed of 1,440 kilometers per hour (km/h). In addition, this version has an infrared guidance system that not only provides night vision, but also differentiates different types of heat sources. The latter is a key issue to avoid wasting ammunition or casualty opportunities against an aerial vehicle or missile that activates countermeasures (usually flares or heat sources that confuse guidance).
File image of several Russian-made Igla S (9K338) air defense missile launchers, also known as ‘Super Igla’ and used by the Venezuelan armed forces.
Along these lines, Maduro has stressed that “even in the last mountain, even in the last town and even in the last city of the national territory” this type of weaponry is available, to which is added the existence of “simulation equipment”, which he ensures leaves “thousands of Igla-S operators in a situation of good aim.” And, along those lines, he has left a serious warning.
“Let no one mess with Venezuela, we don’t mess with anyone,” Maduro stated, while ensuring that “Venezuela has to be an impregnable homeland.”
