Sukhoi and EADS CASA deals nearly equal for Chavez air force

Russia's Sukhoi and Europe's EADS CASA military aircraft companies are about neck-in-neck as the largest suppliers of warplanes to the Chavez regime.

The sale of high performance Sukhoi fighter jets and relatively low-tech EADS CASA CN-235 and C-295 troop and cargo transport craft are roughly of similar size. The Sukhoi deal is worth up to $1 billion, and the EADS CASA deal, depending on the source, ranges from $800 million to $1.2 billion.