Venezuela’s Navy showed new ships and missiles. The country held a big parade on July 24. The event marked two special days.
It celebrated the 200th anniversary of the Battle of Lake Maracaibo and Navy Day.
Admiral Neil Villamizar Sanchez spoke at the event. He talked about new upgrades to the Navy.
The Navy has faced some challenges. Some Western countries have put trade limits on Venezuela.
These limits make it hard to get new military gear. The country’s own financial troubles also slowed things down.
Despite this, the Navy has been improving. They started a plan called “Sailing to the Bicentennial.”
The goal was to make the Navy fully ready for action. The plan has been a success. It has helped fix and upgrade various types of ships, weapons, and aircraft.
In 2020 and early 2021, the Navy got new ships. These include a Navantia Avante 1500 ship and two Damen Stan Patrol 2606 boats.
The recent parade showed off these new additions. They also showed a new missile system for ships.
The new missile system is called C802A. It comes from China. The missile can hit targets 180 km away. It carries a big 190 kg warhead.
Irani Missile Boats
Two new boats from Iran were also shown. These are called Peykaap III missile boats. They will join a new boat team at the Tomas Vega Naval Base.
These boats can go as fast as 52 knots. They also carry potent missiles.
Another new ship is the Agustin Armario. It’s a Damen Stan Patrol 4207 type. It can go up to 26 knots.
A new transport vessel called the Los Hermanos was also on display. This ship can carry 725 tons of cargo.
In short, the Venezuelan Navy is updating fast. They are doing this even with trade limits and money issues.
The parade showed that they are making real progress.