Maduro’s arsenal: What are the Russian Igla-S missiles that Venezuela says it has by the thousands in “mountains, towns and cities” like?

SEE ALSO: Why Russia rejected Trump’s latest proposal to “freeze” the war in Ukraine on the current front

According to the AFP agency, The missile has already been used in military exercises ordered by Maduro in response to the US deployment in the Caribbeanwhere Trump has sent at least eight warships, a submarine and thousands of marines. Besides, 10 F-35 fighter planes have been deployed in Puerto Rico.

The United States offers a reward of 50 million dollars for the capture of Maduro. Accuses him of leading the Cartel of the Suns along with senior military commanders and political figures around him.

Washington maintains that the Cartel of the Suns is responsible for flooding the United States with drugs.

After the deployment of its naval fleet, On September 2, the United States began a series of unprecedented attacks against what it describes as narcoterrorist boats..

On Wednesday, Secretary of War Pete Hegsethconfirmed two attacks in the Peacefulbringing the number of boats hit to nine. hTo date, 34 people have died in these actions.

What is the Igla-S like?

He Igla-S (designated in Russia as 9K338 and by NATO as SA-24 “Grinch”) is a portable anti-aircraft missile shoulder-mounted ground-to-air.

The complete system weighs a little more than 18 kilos: the missile 11.7 kilos and the launcher tube 6.5 kilos.

It measures about 1.6 meters and employs a dual-band passive infrared seeker to hit its targets.

Its operational range is between 500 meters and 6 kilometers. Its maximum impact altitude is 3.5 km.

The missile It is designed to attack helicopters, low-level aircraft, drones and low-flying cruise missiles.

However, it is not a weapon capable of neutralizing larger-scale air defense systems or aircraft that move at high altitudes.

Unlike large anti-aircraft batteries, Igla-S are individual systems that can be wielded by a soldier. They can also be hidden in vehicles and buildings.

Their mobility makes it easy to place them on hillsides, forests or rooftops. without the need to have a complex and heavy infrastructure.

Its size and method of use too make possible its placement in civil areaswhich, from an operational point of view, increases both the local defense capacity and the risk for civil aviation and the population in case of error, falling debris or improper use.

When using passive infrared guidance, The Igla-S does not reveal its position through radar emissionswhich complicates remote detection and favors concealment tactics in mountainous or urban areas.

He American equivalent of the Russian Igla-S missile is he FIM-92 Stingera portable anti-aircraft system developed by Raytheon. They both serve the same purpose: shoot down low altitude aircraft with a single operator from the ground.

He stinger He is famous for his effectiveness in combat, as he was key in Afghanistan during the Soviet invasion of the 80s. He is considered slightly higher in precision and speed to the Igla-S, although the latter has better resistance to flares and thermal decoys thanks to its electronic improvements.

Is Venezuela seeking to deter the United States?

The international analyst Roberto Heimovits he told The Commerce that the announcement of Ripe over the thousands of russian missiles what has Venezuela has a double strategy: deter the United States against a possible air raid and internally strengthen the image of a regime that controls everythingalthough he remembered that The Chavista leader lacks real popular support.

“Presumably part of the operations of USAif you venture into Venezuelait would be by helicopter, with helitransported commandos, that’s what the Igla-S“, Heimovits noted.

On Wednesday, Trump announced that he is preparing attacks against drug traffickers who operate on land.

“We will probably go back to Congress and explain exactly what we will do when we go ashore,” said.

Trump stressed that his administration was “fully prepared” to expand anti-drug operations on the ground.

Heimovits indicated that if the statement of trumpthe scenario could escalate to include attacks on targets of the Maduro regime inside Venezuelaalthough he warned that Consistency of Trump claims is uncertain and which has changed its position rapidly in the past.

He explained that, if a US military action takes place in Venezuela, the direct repercussions in Latin America would be limitedsince the strongest impact of the Chavista regime on the region already occurred through exodus of millions of Venezuelanswhich affected economies such as Peru and Colombia.

The analyst raised three central questions regarding a possible intervention by the United States: “Does Washington really have an operational plan to overthrow Maduro? Are you willing to invest the necessary resources to do it? After an eventual fall of the regime, The United States would assume the political and economic cost of stabilizing Venezuelaor would he simply retreat after his offensive?

Heimovits doubts that Ripe can be sustained if Washington really decides to overthrow him, since could face internal fractures within their own circle of power.

And faced with the possibility of external support in the event of an attack, the analyst pointed out that Russia would only offer Maduro verbal supportsince it is focused on the war in Ukraine, and The Chavista leader would not intervene militarily in defense of his ally.