Venezuela says it shot down unidentified U.S. aircraft

On 9 July, the Strategic Command Operations of the Bolivarian National Armed Forces has reported that it shoot down unidentified aircraft with a U.S. serial identification number as it violated the country’s airspace.

“CEOFANB reports that the United Aerospace Defence Command detected an aircraft with a US hull number intruding Venezuelan airspace overnight 8 July and neutralized it with military jets according to protocols”, the military said on Twitter.

Some sources reported that fighter jets of the Bolivarian Venezuelan Military Aviation forced a ‘narco jet’ transporting cocaine to land. After landing in the field, the crew allegedly set fire to the plane to hide all evidence.

- ADVERTISEMENT - CONTINUE READING BELOW -

According to the Mehrnews.com, attached to the post were images of the “neutralized” plane on fire. One could read serial number N339AV on its tail.

According to Flightradar, it was a privately-owned Hawker 800 plane. Its latest registered flight route was in Mexico, from the central Toluca state to Cozumel island in the Caribbean.

Readers who wish to follow our weekly coverage can subscribe to the Weekly Defense Roundup.

If you wish to report a grammatical or factual error in this article, please let us know by using the online form.

Executive Editor

Support The Defence Blog

Independent reporting takes resources. Join us on Patreon.

Become a patron

More Like This

CIA-affiliated plane spotted at Caracas airport

A CIA-linked LM-100J Super Hercules operated by Pallas Aviation landed in Caracas on January 10. The aircraft, using callsign WDE08 and tail number N96MG,...

U.S. Forces use Growlers to blind Venezuelan air-defense systems

United States forces used Navy EA-18G Growler electronic attack aircraft during the January 3 strike on Venezuela, employing high-power jamming to disable multiple layers...

U.S. Forces use AGM-154C-1 glide bomb in Venezuela strike

United States forces conducted a strike in Venezuela on January 3 using the AGM-154C-1 Joint Stand-Off Weapon, after local authorities released images showing debris...

U.S. military destroys second Venezuelan Buk-M2E system

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...

U.S. forces destroy Buk-M2E air defense system at Caracas base

Newly released footage confirms that at least one Buk-M2E surface-to-air missile system was destroyed during an airstrike on the Generalissimo Francisco de Miranda Air...

Finland’s new warships get advanced composite armor fitted

Finland's next generation of warships is getting armored protection from a specialist composite materials company, with Integris selected to supply advanced naval ballistic protection...