The fall of Nicolás Maduro’s regime in Venezuela could bring Russia not only reputational and geopolitical fallout, but serious defense problems, as the Venezuelan army’s Russian-made weaponry could end up in U.S. hands.
The formation of a government in Venezuela aligned with Washington would give U.S. military experts access to one of the largest stockpiles of Russian arms outside Russia — from air defenses to fighter jets and missiles.
As Defence Express reports, under such a scenario U.S. military specialists would be able to study virtually the entire arsenal of Venezuela’s armed forces, including equipment and systems supplied by Russia over the past two decades.
Of particular value to the U.S. are the Russian S-300VM surface-to-air missile systems delivered to Venezuela in 2013. Caracas received two battalions of the system, considered among the most capable export versions of Russia’s air defenses.
In addition, in October 2025 Russia transferred to Venezuela an unspecified number of “Pantsir” and “Buk-M2” systems. These systems are also priority targets for U.S. analysis, given their active use by Russia in current conflicts.
U.S. interest could also extend to the Venezuelan military’s air component, notably the Russian Su-30MKV fighter jets, deliveries of which began in 2006. Venezuela currently fields 21 of these aircraft.
Adding to the value for U.S. military analysts are R-77 air-to-air guided missiles, considered among the most modern in Russia’s arsenal.
The 300 mm “Smerch” multiple launch rocket systems could also attract U.S. attention.
In addition, Washington may be interested in Iranian- and Chinese-made weapons, namely Iran’s Mohajer-6 reconnaissance-strike drones and China’s VN-16 infantry fighting vehicles.
Taken together, Venezuela could become a unique venue for the comprehensive study of weapons from several U.S. adversaries and competitors at once.
Analysts say the U.S. would be interested not only in studying Russian systems, but also in reducing the military potential of Venezuela - one of South America’s most powerful armies.
