Venezuela has about five thousand units of Igla-S man-portable air-defense missile systems (MANPADS) in service. This was pointed out by the Telegram channel "Voennyi Osvedomitel".
Videos have appeared online showing five military helicopters flying over Caracas without interference. It was precisely this episode that raised the main question.
Where are they?
Recall that the Igla-S system is designed to engage low-flying and low-altitude targets, including helicopters, at ranges of up to 6 km and altitudes of up to 3.5 km.
The system uses an infrared homing head and is intended specifically to protect facilities and troops from such threats.
Military expert Evgeny Damantsev noted that thousands of Igla-S MANPADS crews are capable of providing sufficiently reliable cover for ground infrastructure even against several squadrons of MV-22B Osprey assault tiltrotor aircraft.