Venezuelan government-owned ammunition and weapons factory Cavim formally accepted the first two Sukhoi warplanes Russia delivered to Venezuela, following completion on Tuesday of their first test flights.

The fighters arrived in Barcelona, eastern Anzoátegui state, last November 30th, on board of a Russian Antonov 124 cargo airplane.

Cavim President, Brigadier General Gustavo Ochoa, said the Su-30s were operated by Russian pilots, as the Venezuelan pilots trained for such purposes are scheduled to arrive in Venezuela over the next few days, following completing of the relevant training in Russia. Venezuelan pilots are to fly the Russian SU-30s on December 10th during a military parade.

Other two Sukhoi-30 from a total of 24 warplanes the Venezuelan Armed Force bought from Russia are scheduled to arrive in Venezuela on December 20th.

Further, Ochoa announced that a manufacturing plant of Russian rifles AK-100 in central Aragua state would be fully operational in three years and a half, with a production capacity of 50,000 units per year.

He ruled out claims that Venezuela intends to meet the demand of firearms in the region. "President Hugo Chávez' guidelines are very clear. We are a pacifist country."