First Deputy Chairman of the State Duma Defence Committee Alexei Zhuravlev has confirmed airlifts of Pantsir and BuK-M2 surface-to-air missile programs to strengthen the air defence capabilities of the Venezuelan Armed Forces, at a time when Caracas faces an imminent menace of a giant scale army assault by the USA. “Russian Pantsir-S1 and Buk-M2E programs have been only recently delivered to Caracas by Il-76 transport plane,” Zhuravlev said, whereas elevating the potential for additional deliveries, and of deliveries of ballistic or cruise missile programs. The airlift seems to be an effort to additional strengthen Venezuela’s capacity to discourage, and if obligatory repel, assaults by the U.S. Armed Forces, at a time of excessive geopolitical tensions between Moscow and Washington. Whereas the BuK-M2 system already kinds the spine of Venezuela’s medium vary air defence capabilities, the Pantsir system represents a brand new sort of asset that would add extra layers to the air defence community.
The Pantsir system first entered service within the Russian Armed Forces in 2012. The eight-wheeled autos make use of a mix of 57E6M surface-to-air missiles and twin 2A38M 30mm anti-aircraft autocannon, the latter which has reportedly confirmed extremely helpful towards low worth drones. It’s prized for its excessive mobility and flexibility, and has been intensively fight examined in Libya, Syria and Ukraine. By the start of the 2020s the system had already shot down over 100 drones and at the least one fighter, with its capacity to offer a defence towards Western radar evading cruise missiles such because the Storm Shadow reported to have been enhanced considerably primarily based on fight expertise within the Ukrainian theatre.
In 2019 a brand new variant of the Pantsir system, the Pantsir-SM, built-in the brand new 57E6M surface-to-air missile as its major armament, rising its engagement vary from 20 to 30 kilometres, and offering a capability to interact at 31 p.c increased speeds. In June 2025 it was revealed {that a} new loadout allowed the system to quadruple its missile carriage from 4 to 12 by utilizing new miniaturised missiles. The Pantsir’s very low price and excessive mobility and flexibility may enable giant numbers to be delivered to the Venezuelan Armed Forces, which might have a transformative influence on Venezuela’s air defences, with its relative simplicity doubtlessly permitting it to be absorbed into service rapidly. Whereas it stays unsure how rapidly Venezuelan personnel might be skilled on the programs, or whether or not they have been already, the confirmed presence of Russian contractor personnel within the nation may facilitate help to expedite this course of. Russian contractors could also be relied on to function the programs in a full or restricted capability within the interim.
