The F-16s were purchased by Venezuela in the 1980s, while its more recent aircraft are primarily of Russian design and manufacture. Photo: Venezuelan Air Force.
Gucamaya, September 5, 2025. On the night of September 4, the US Department of Defense reported that two F-16 fighter jets from the Venezuelan air force flew near one of its vessels, contributing to rising tensions between Washington and Caracas. However, the incident has not been verified.
The two F-16s allegedly flew near the USS Jason Dunham, according to CBS News. This U.S. Navy destroyer is part of a military deployment in the Caribbean with the official mission of combating drug trafficking.
The incident also comes shortly after Washington bombed a fishing vessel in international waters, claiming it was transporting drugs from Venezuela to the United States.
In its statement, the Pentagon said that “This highly provocative measure was designed to interfere with our counter-narco-terrorism operations. The cartel that governs Venezuela is strongly advised not to continue attempting to obstruct, deter, or interfere with the counter-narcotics and counter-terrorism operations carried out by the US military.”
The Department of Defense has already used this incident to deploy 10 F-35 aircraft, which are far more advanced than the F-16s, to a base in Puerto Rico to join the military deployment.
Military analysts confirm that the military deployment has no real capacity to efficiently combat drug trafficking and instead has political and media-related objectives.
Videos purporting to show the incident have been circulating on social media, but they are from previous events. For example, a video from the Bolivarian National Armed Forces showing an aircraft flying over a Venezuelan Guaiquerí patrol boat—not a US Navy vessel—has been used.
Neither the Ministry of Defense nor the FANB have yet commented on the incident.
