The flybys, which as of this publication are listed as two recorded occasions on September 2 and 4, have confirmed that the prohibitions imposed by the U.S. on Venezuela have not prevented the AMB’s F-16s from continuing in service through a reduced core of airworthy aircraft.
An unprecedented incorporation without comparison in the region
At the end of the 1970s, in the prevailing context of the Cold War, the then Venezuelan Air Force (today Bolivarian Military Aviation) undertook various plans and projects to modernize its combat fleet, which up to that point was composed of Mirage IIIEV and Mirage 5V interceptor aircraft.
The regional geopolitical context of the time was marked by the concern posed by the modern MiG-23 Floggers of the Cuban Air Force over Venezuelan crude oil supply lines to the United States. A concern that was weighed by Venezuelan commanders when evaluating candidates for the incorporation of a new fourth-generation multirole fighter.
This situation allowed the Venezuelan government to move forward with the acquisition of a batch of 24 F-16A/B Block 15 fighters (18 single-seaters and 6 twin-seaters), with the approval of the United States Senate in February 1982. By the end of 1983, November 18 was marked in the modern history of Venezuela and the region with the arrival of the first units, assigned to Combat Air Group No. 16 “Dragons.” Deliveries would be completed in 1985.
A platform without equal in the region
Until the delivery of the first Mirage 2000P/DPs to the Peruvian Air Force in 1987, the F-16s of the then Venezuelan Air Force became the most advanced multirole fighters in service in South America. Without going into comparisons that are not the subject of this text, only with the arrival of the first F-16 Block 50s to the Chilean Air Force, delivered between 2006 and 2007, did the Venezuelan Fighting Falcons cease to be considered the most modern vectors in the region for missions ranging from air cover, interception, attack, and close air support.
This was based on the capabilities provided by the F-16s acquired by Venezuela, which enabled the country’s Air Force, at the time of their incorporation and during the first years of their operational service, to remain practically on par with the aircraft belonging to the European program (composed of partners such as the Netherlands, Denmark, Norway, and Belgium).
Included within the Peace Delta Program, the fighters were provided along with a batch of AIM-9L/P-4 Sidewinder infrared-guided air-to-air missiles. However, the United States did not complement the weapons package with equipment and guided bombs for ground attack operations.
The decline of Venezuela’s F-16s
There is no doubt that the change of political regime that took place at the end of the 1990s in Venezuela marked a turning point for the F-16s of the Venezuelan Air Force, which would later see its name changed to the current Bolivarian Military Aviation.
The strained relationship of the Caribbean country with the United States since Hugo Chávez took office impacted the Armed Forces, accelerating a technological decline that continues to this day and affecting the operability of all U.S.-origin platforms.
To cite a few examples, plans to upgrade the aircraft, in line with the advances being recorded in the platform — including even evaluating a change of powerplants to F100-PW-220E engines, approved by the U.S. in 1997 — irretrievably floundered, while the country shifted its matrix of arms suppliers toward new partners such as Russia in the first place, and more recently China and Iran.
The impossibility of acquiring spare parts, rotables, and consumables for the weapons system directly impacted the number of available aircraft. As open-source intelligence (OSINT) indicates, estimates suggest that barely half a dozen fighters would be in service, as reflected in recent operational deployments in exercises and Venezuelan airspace control activities, including operations of attack and interception of illegal flights.
Current state of the platform
As previously noted, it is not known with certainty how many F-16s of the Bolivarian Military Aviation are in service and airworthy, nor how many could return to operation. Reality shows that, despite the prohibitions imposed by the U.S. government — and as evidenced by the recent deployment and close flyby of a U.S. destroyer in the Caribbean —, the AMB sustains great efforts to keep a reduced core of aircraft flightworthy, presumably resorting to cannibalization of out-of-service units and to external suppliers of diverse origin.
As a precedent, at the beginning of March 2024, during the training and operational exercise “Matasiete I-24,” it was possible to observe in line “… a total of three F-16A/Bs (two single-seaters and one twin-seater), belonging to Fighter Air Group No. 16, based at El Libertador Air Base, armed with AIM-9L Sidewinder and Rafael Python 4 missiles.”
In this regard, the Venezuelan F-16s received various modifications and updates to employ Israeli-origin weapons and equipment, highlighting the integration of Python-4 air-to-air missiles and even LITENING targeting pods, which suggests that Israel may also have provided guided weapons with their respective kits.
Finally, and beyond the shows of force carried out by Nicolás Maduro’s regime within the framework of the major deployment of the U.S. Navy in the Caribbean — aimed at combating drug cartels, identified as terrorist organizations and considered by Washington as one of the main economic pillars of the Bolivarian government —, reality shows that the AMB’s F-16s, without major upgrades or specific armament for antisurface operations, do not represent a threat to the U.S. ships recently deployed.
At the same time, it should not go unmentioned the choice made by the Bolivarian military leadership when carrying out a “demonstration” of force, since, instead of the more modern and powerful Sukhoi Su-30MK2 air superiority fighters, the F-16s were chosen. This could also be an indication of the level of availability and operability of the aircraft acquired from Russia years ago, which, presumably, could be lower than that of the U.S.-origin fighters, with all the restrictions they face, in comparison.
*Photographs used for illustration purposes
*Original text written in Spanish by Juan José Roldán
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