BUK Deployment in Caracas
Andrei Serbin Pont
President of CRIES | CEO of InnovAcción Hub & PROAMED | AI & OSINT Innovator Merging Geopolitics, Energy, and Defense Expertise for Comprehensive Strategic Decision Making
So here goes a short thread I shared on Twitter on Venezuela′s deployment of BUK M2E air defense systems yesterday. We spotted BUKs in Puerto Cabello, Autopista Caracas-La Guaira and La Carlota. We have NEVER seen BUK deployed to La Carlota, only once we have seen S-125 2M there.
I believe all of the BUKs are from 391 GMDA "Capitán Fernando Crespo" based in Charallave, Miranda and not that all three BUK units have been moved to these three locations. Why?
Venezuelan BUK units follow a pretty standard unit composition(although reduced in size), with one TAR(target acquisition radar), one command vehicle, three to six TELAR(transporter erector launcher and radar) and three (three transporter erector launcher).
Looking through social we can ID the composition of the three deployments in in Puerto Cabello, Autopista Caracas-La Guaira and La Carlota. In Puerto Cabello we only see TELAR and TEL. Same goes for Autopista Caracas-La Guaira.
But in La Carlota we see TELAR, TEL and a TAR operating right next to the runway, as well as a command vehicle. BUK is designed to have this type of flexibility and Puerto Cabello and Autopista Caracas-La Guaira are probably using Chinese early warning radars for target detection.
Why is this relevant? Mainly because the deployment is very unordinary. Never usually see these units deployed in these locations(except Puerto Cabello), but they also show the importance of 391 in providing cover for Caracas and other key areas.
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5 年Good write-up as always. Looks like they are concerned about American armed drones.