A pair of Venezuelan fighter jets made an aggressive low pass over a US Navy (USN) destroyer in the Caribbean Sea on 4 September, inflaming an already tense situation in the region.
The US Department of Defense says two Venezuelan military aircraft “flew near” a USN ship in international waters.
The Pentagon did not immediately provide details about the incident, such as the type of aircraft involved or the name of the vessel, but describes the act as a “provocative move”.
“The cartel running Venezuela is strongly advised not to pursue any further effort to obstruct, deter or interfere with counter-narcotics and counter-terror operations carried out by the US military,” Washington says.
Citing an unnamed US defence official, The New York Times reports the aircraft involved in the low pass were two Lockheed Martin F-16s belonging to the Venezuelan air force, which overflew the USS Jason Dunham – a guided-missile destroyer.
Despite a fraught relationship with Washington since the ascendency of late dictator Hugo Chavez in the 1990s, Caracas still operates a small contingent of three American-made F-16As and one two-seat F-16B. All four jets are more than 40-years old, according to fleets data from aviation analytics company Cirium.
A further 15 F-16s are listed as being in storage.
The three jets were thought to be in a questionable state after years of economic sanctions and restrictions by the USA. Caracas also operates 21 Russian-sourced Sukhoi Su-30MKV interceptors, purchased in 2006, and six Cold War-era Northrop F-5As.
The fly-by of the Dunham comes days after the Trump Administration ordered a lethal airstrike against a small maritime vessel in the Caribbean, which the White House has described as a drug smuggling boat coming from Venezuela.
Washington has surged military assets to the region in recent weeks, including the Wasp-class amphibious assault ship USS Iwo Jima. The flattop vessel is a light aircraft carrier meant to provide US Marine Corps (USMC) expeditionary forces with fixed- and rotary-wing air support.
Both the Wasp-class and newer America-class assault ships are capable of launching the short take-off and vertical landing Lockheed Martin F-35B stealth fighter and Boeing AV-8B Harrier II jump jet.
The amphibious ready group (ARG) that accompanies such vessels (roughly analogous to a carrier strike group) also includes two ships designed to transport up to 2,000 USMC combat troops, and amphibious landing vehicles.
The Iwo Jima ARG is operating Harriers, rather than F-35Bs.
Three guided-missile destroyers, including the Dunham, are also in the region, part of the Trump Administration’s initiative to deploy US military forces against Latin American drug cartels.
Venezuela has also threatened its neighbour Guyana, with current Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro in 2024 asserting sovereignty over an oil-rich Guyanese province.
USN fighters overflew the capital of Guyana last year in a show of support for the small South American nation.
See photos of AV-8B flight operations from the ongoing deployment of the USS Iwo Jima:
