US Victory in Venezuela Raises Questions About Russian Air Defenses

A major US military operation in Venezuela has concluded with a decisive victory, capturing former president Nicolás Maduro and his wife without losing a single aircraft to the country's air defense network. The mission, known as Operation Absolute Resolve, involved over 150 aircraft and showcased a complex, multi-domain assault on a fortified target.

As apprehension forces approached the Fuerte Tiuna military installation in Caracas, US aircraft systematically dismantled Venezuelan air defenses to create a safe corridor for low-altitude helicopters. Planners had anticipated significant resistance, but the enemy network capitulated under overwhelming US pressure.

The operation's success has drawn attention from defense analysts worldwide, raising questions about the effectiveness of Russian and Chinese military technology in real-world combat scenarios.

The raid was a large, complex undertaking involving a diverse fleet of aircraft. The force included F-35 and F-22 stealth fighters, F/A-18 jets, EA-18 electronic attack aircraft, E-2 airborne early warning planes, bombers, and various drones. This combination allowed for a layered approach to neutralizing defenses.

US forces employed a sophisticated mix of tools to disable the air defenses. Key tactics included:

• AGM-88 anti-radiation missiles designed to home in on radar emissions
• Electronic jamming to disrupt enemy communications and targeting
• Coordinated strikes to overwhelm defensive networks

Despite the mission's success, it came at a cost. A defense official confirmed that seven US troops were injured during the raid, a reminder of the inherent dangers in such operations.

While US combat power was significant, the victory was heavily influenced by critical failures within Venezuela's own defense posture. Mark Cancian, a retired Marine Corps colonel and defense expert with the Center for Strategic and International Studies, noted a glaring tactical error.

The Venezuelan crews were apparently unprepared as they located many air defense positions in the middle of fields rather than under camouflage.

This lack of concealment made the systems exceptionally vulnerable to US forces. Further compounding the issue, reports indicated that some Venezuelan air defense systems were not even connected to their radars when US air power arrived.

These operational shortcomings point to deeper, long-standing issues within Venezuela's air defense network. Experts have long noted serious problems with the maintenance and sustainment of its Russian air defenses and Chinese radars, revealing a significant gap between the equipment's potential and its actual battlefield readiness.

The performance of Russian and Chinese systems in Venezuela provides a data point, but one that must be interpreted with caution. Before the raid, Venezuela was assessed to possess a formidable array of equipment, including Russian S-300VM batteries, Buk-M2 systems, and S-125 Pechora-2M launchers, alongside Chinese YJ-27 radars.

China has touted its YJ-27 radars as state-of-the-art, claiming they can detect stealth assets like the F-22 and F-35 from over 150 miles away and are resistant to jamming. However, in this real-world test, the radars appeared to be of little use.

The challenges faced by US forces in Venezuela are not isolated. Similar patterns have emerged in other conflicts:

• Israeli airpower defeated Russian air defenses in Iran
• US operations struck Iranian nuclear facilities under similar conditions
• Russian systems have seen combat losses in Ukraine, including advanced S-400 units

As Michael Sobolik, a senior fellow at the Hudson Institute, emphasized, what matters more than marketing claims is how these systems perform in actual conflict.

The emerging consensus among analysts is that these export variants can handle low and medium threats but struggle against the most challenging attacks from nations like the United States and Israel. However, a critical caveat remains: US and allied airpower have not yet been tested against the full capabilities of integrated Russian and Chinese air defense networks as they would be deployed by their home militaries.

Houston Cantwell, a retired US Air Force brigadier general and expert at the Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies, stressed that maintaining the technological edge is paramount. He pointed to the F-35 Lightning II as a key example.

The F-35 has proven time and time again that it gives its warfighters an advantage in the air and lowers the risk to the warfighter while providing more options to the political decision makers.

Continued proficiency in operating and maintaining advanced aircraft is expected to provide the US with an airpower advantage over adversary defenses. Yet, the extent to which the Venezuela mission truly reflects this enduring edge remains an open question.

The successful raid in Venezuela demonstrates the potency of modern US military tactics and technology when applied against a less-prepared adversary. It underscores the importance of operational readiness and the potential vulnerabilities of export-model military hardware.

However, the operation also serves as a cautionary tale against overconfidence. The failures of the Venezuelan military may have been as decisive as the strengths of the US force. As Western militaries analyze this victory, they must balance the confidence gained with the understanding that future conflicts against peer adversaries will present a far more formidable challenge.

The path forward lies not in resting on recent successes, but in continuing to innovate and maintain the rigorous training and readiness that made this mission possible.