Blue Lantern Broker Inquiry K -2547

UNCLAS BOGOTA 003361 SENSITIVE SIPDIS PM/DTCC FOR RACHAEL-THERESE S. JOUBERT-LIN E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: ETTC KOMC CO SUBJECT: Blue Lantern Broker Inquiry K -2547 REF: STATE 99489 ¶1. (SBU) Summary. Per reftel, Emboffs visited Vertical de Aviacion Ltda on November 9 to verify the bona fides of the company as a broker to import items from the United States Munitions List. Representatives from Vertical de Aviacion stated that they are interested in importing night vision devices (NVDs) for use on military and police aircraft. Vertical de Aviacion is entitled to import such items by the government of Colombia, its primary client, but has yet to do so. End Summary. ¶2. (SBU) Juan Carlos Lozano Uribe, Vice President of Vertical de Aviacion met Emboffs at the company's large restricted-access hangar at the El Dorado airport in Bogota. The company employs approximately 400 people, and consists of five aviation companies, ranging from fixed-wing maintenance to maintenance of Russian aircraft, to flight simulation training and operations. Their clients include the Colombian military, national energy companies, and foreign governments including Peru, Ecuador and Mexico. Lozano also mentioned that the company had a maintenance contract providing overhauls of Russian aircraft with a civilian search and rescue agency of the government of Venezuela, but had not worked with them for the past year. Lozano believes that the company is the largest in the region that does maintenance on Russian aircraft. Vertical de Aviacion also has a transportation services contract with the U.S. military at Post, and provides services as a subcontractor to the U.S. military in Afghanistan. During the visit, Emboffs observed Colombian military personnel and Vertical de Aviacion technicians working on and inspecting aircraft in the company's hangar. The security and organizational measures in place at the hangar appeared adequate. ¶3. Lozano confirmed that the license solicited by Vertical de Aviacion would pertain only to Colombian government contracts. Lozano stated that the company had not yet identified the U.S. companies that it would import from, but said that they hoped to position themselves to import, install, and provide services on radars and night vision systems such as FLIR for Colombian government aircraft. BROWNFIELD