- Confirmed imagery shows a Venezuelan-operated Buk-M2E air defense system destroyed by U.S. airstrikes at Higuerote Air Base east of Caracas.
- The loss is the second verified Buk-M2E system eliminated during U.S. strikes, reducing Venezuela’s modern air defense capability around the capital.
Confirmed imagery released on Saturday shows a Venezuelan-operated Buk-M2E medium-range air defense system destroyed by U.S. airstrikes at Higuerote Air Base, approximately 75 kilometers east of Caracas, marking the second verified loss of the Russian-made system during the U.S. military operation.
The newly emerged visual evidence documents the destruction of a Buk-M2E belonging to Venezuela’s Air Defence Command. The wreckage is visible within the perimeter of Higuerote Air Base, a military installation on Venezuela’s northern coast used by air force and air defense units. The strike occurred during overnight U.S. air operations targeting Venezuelan military infrastructure.
The loss represents the second confirmed Buk-M2E system destroyed in Venezuela since U.S. strikes began. Earlier imagery released from a separate location showed another Buk-M2E launcher rendered inoperable, establishing a pattern of targeted attacks against Venezuela’s modern ground-based air defense assets. U.S. officials have not publicly commented on specific targets struck during the operation.
According to visual analysis of the latest footage, the destroyed system appears to be the Buk-M2E system supplied by Russia for export customers. The damage pattern indicates a direct strike rather than secondary detonation.
The Buk-M2E is the export version of Russia’s Buk-M2 medium-range surface-to-air missile system, designed to engage aircraft, cruise missiles, and unmanned aerial vehicles. Venezuela acquired the system as part of broader air defense modernization efforts and operates it under the Air Defence Command as a key component of layered protection around major cities and strategic facilities, including the Caracas region.
Higuerote Air Base has historically hosted Venezuelan Air Force aviation units and air defense elements tasked with coastal and capital-area coverage. Its location east of Caracas places it within a defensive belt intended to protect the capital and surrounding infrastructure from aerial threats. The confirmed destruction of a Buk-M2E system at the base indicates that U.S. strikes penetrated defended military zones.
The Venezuelan Buk-M2E inventory is limited, and each confirmed loss reduces the country’s ability to contest airspace during high-intensity operations. The system is considered one of the more modern platforms in Venezuela’s air defense network compared with older Soviet-era equipment still in service.