http://udn.com/NEWS/WORLD/WOR3/5476078.shtml
中製6架K-8戰機 運交委國
【世界日報╱法新社卡拉卡斯13日電】 2010.03.15 02:55 pm
委內瑞拉向中國訂購的18架K-8戰機,首批六架飛機以及維修飛機的控制系統,已在13日運交委內瑞拉。
委內瑞拉總統查維茲在聲明中特別讚揚該國與「社會主義和改革的中國」的友誼,他說:「這是因為委內瑞拉將要轉型為一個經濟、社會、道德和科技的強權。」
委內瑞拉是在2008年後期與中國簽訂這項採購飛機的協議,此舉在推動委內瑞拉空軍現代化,以汰換老舊機隊;委國先前大多使用美國的科技。
雙人座的K-8戰機,用途為教練機或輕型攻擊機,最大飛行高度達4萬呎,機上可配備的武器包括機槍和輕型炸彈。這型戰機是由中國與巴基斯坦聯合研製,主要用於支援地面作戰。
委內瑞拉空軍將領艾瑞瓦洛(Jorge Arevalo)曾表示,中國將在2010年以前,分三批完成交運K-8戰機。
另外,去年委國當局亦宣布,已從俄羅斯獲得22億元貸款,以購買約100輛T-72坦克和防空系統。
【2010/03/15 世界日報】
http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20100313/wl_nm/us_venezuela_planes_1
China delivers Venezuela jets for anti-drugs fight
Sat Mar 13, 2:14 pm ET
CARACAS (Reuters) – Venezuela on Saturday tested six training and light attack jets bought from China for defense and anti-drugs flights in a deal that dodges an embargo banning sales of U.S. weapons parts to oil exporter Venezuela.
President Hugo Chavez ordered a total of 18 K-8 jets built by China after a plan to buy similar jets from Brazil's Embraer fell through, apparently because they include U.S. electrical systems.
"Thank you, China. The empire wanted to leave us unarmed. Socialist China, revolutionary China appeared and here are our K-8 planes," he said during a televised display of the jets' capabilities.
Officials at the ceremony said the versatile jets will be used to train pilots and intercept drug traffickers who use Venezuela as a stop off point to take Colombian cocaine to the United States, Europe and Africa.
Washington accuses the socialist Chavez, a close ally of Cuba and Iran, of starting an arms race in South America, where several nations have beefed-up their military in the last few years.
Tensions with neighbor Colombia over U.S. access to military bases there and accusations that Chavez supports FARC guerrillas have raised concerns of a violent incident between the two countries.
Colombia is the region's biggest military spender as a proportion of GDP because of its civil war with the leftist rebels.
OPEC member Venezuela has also bought a network of 10 radars from China and has spent about $4 billion on Russian weapons including fighter jets to replace F-16 planes that are rusting away because of the U.S. embargo, which started in 2006.
Chavez says he is simply modernizing Venezuela's armed forces.
"With God's help, Venezuela is going to be a socialist power," Chavez said, adding that remaining K-8s were due this year. "We need to be well equipped and trained ... to protect our skies, our soil, our territory, which has one of the world's biggest riches of water, oil, energy and gas."
He said Venezuela had taken delivery of a navy patrol boat from Spain a few days ago and said the first of a batch of 92 Russian T-72 tanks ordered last year would arrive "soon."
Unofficial reports say the Russian deal is worth up to $4 billion and may include S-300V air defense systems, Smerch multiple-launch rockets and howitzers.
(Reporting by Eyanir Chinea; Writing by Frank Jack Daniel; Editing by Jackie Frank)