VZCZCXYZ0016
OO RUEHWEB

DE RUEHBO #3361 3162146
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
O R 122146Z NOV 09
FM AMEMBASSY BOGOTA
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 0828
INFO RHEFDIA/DIA WASHINGTON DC
RHMFIUU/FBI WASHINGTON DC
RUCPDOC/USDOC WASHINGTON DC
RUEAIIA/CIA WASHINGTON DC
RUEHBO/AMEMBASSY BOGOTA
RUEKJCS/SECDEF WASHINGTON DC
RUETIBC/DIRNSA 55-1 REPORTING FT GEORGE G MEADE MD

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 
deAviacion 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