Editing Armed Forces of Ecuador (section)

== Equipment sources ==
Historically, Ecuador depended on a wide variety of foreign suppliers for virtually all of its equipment needs. Only in the 1980s did it begin to develop a modest domestic arms industry as the Directorate of Army Industries manufactured rifle ammunition, uniforms, boots, and other items.

In the 1960s and 1970s, [[France]] became a leading supplier and delivered [[AMX-13]] tanks and various aircraft. [[Ecuador]] also purchased [[Type 209 submarine]]s and [[Lürssen]]-Seawolf TNC 45 patrol boats from [[West Germany]]. Various types of [[infantry]] weapons were acquired from [[Belgium]].

Ecuador became a substantial customer for [[Israel]]i arms in the 1970s, purchasing [[IAI Arava|Arava aircraft]], [[Gabriel missile]]s for naval patrol craft, and [[Uzi]] submachine guns. Under technical assistance contracts, Israel serviced Israeli planes in the [[Ecuadorian Air Force]] inventory as well as [[Boeing]] civilian aircraft flown by [[TAME]] and ''Ecuatoriana Airlines''. Ecuador also reportedly employed Israeli security specialists as consultants in the fight against terrorism. In 1976 Ecuador became the first foreign country to order the [[IAI Kfir|Kfir]], an advanced jet fighter equipped with the [[General Electric J-79]] engine produced in Israel under license. The transaction, which required United States government approval because of the engine technology, was rejected by the administration of President [[Jimmy Carter]] in order to discourage the proliferation of sophisticated military equipment in the [[Third World]]. The action caused an uproar in Israel where the sale was regarded as an important breakthrough in Israel's efforts to develop international markets for the Kfir. In 1981, after the inauguration of President [[Ronald Reagan]], [[Federal government of the United States|Washington]] removed its objection to the sale. Although the contract called for the purchase of 12 Kfirs and an option to purchase an additional 12, Ecuador acquired only the original group, at a price estimated at US$196 million.

Ecuador became a relatively heavy importer of arms in the late 1970s and early 1980s, averaging US$150 million annually and reaching a peak of US$280 million in 1982. These imports declined sharply to an average of US$50 million annually between 1985 and 1987, presumably as a result of a dramatic reduction in oil revenues and the precipitous drop in the value of the [[Ecuadorian sucre|sucre]], which made imported arms extremely expensive. Between 1983 and 1987, Ecuador imported an estimated US$460 million of arms, primarily from [[Italy]], France, the United States, and [[United Kingdom|Britain]]. In 1995, during the [[Cenepa War]] against [[Peru]], [[Argentina]] gave to Ecuador 6,500 [[ton]]s of [[rifle]]s, cannons, [[anti-tank rockets]], and ammunition in a controversial move.<ref>{{cite news|author=Redacción BBC Mundo |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/spanish/latin_america/newsid_7274000/7274638.stm |title=BBC Mundo - América Latina - Así fue la última guerra |work=BBC News |date= 3 March 2008|access-date=28 July 2010}}</ref>

Recent times saw changes in Ecuador's foreign policy, as it decided to look for alternative weapon suppliers. These included its long-term allies [[Chile]], which since 2008 has provided [[Leopard 1]] tanks and {{sclass|Leander|frigate|1}}s. Israel delivered its [[unmanned aerial vehicles]] in 2009, and [[Brazil]] supplied additional military vehicles and [[Embraer EMB 314 Super Tucano|Super Tucano]] combat aircraft. Countries like [[Russia]] and [[China]] have delivered small quantities of military equipment in the past, but have gained importance in recent years. Since then, Chinese radars, anti-aircraft systems, and infantry weapons have been purchased. In 2009 two additional [[Mil Mi-17]] helicopters have been ordered from [[Russia]] with further deals planned.{{cn|date=July 2021}} [[India]] has delivered [[HAL Dhruv]] helicopters and [[South Africa]] is about to deliver 12 [[Atlas Cheetah]] [[supersonic]] aircraft. Ecuador's political ally, [[Venezuela]], has donated military equipment including six [[Dassault Mirage 5|Mirage 50]] aircraft.

In 2010, the U.S. embassy in Ecuador announced that it had delivered $1.2 million of donated military equipment to the Ecuadorian military. The donations were intended to support operations countering drug smuggling and guerilla activity along the [[Colombia]]n border. Although the U.S. has refused to renew their lease on the [[Manta Air Base|Manta military airbase]], deliveries included trucks, patrol boats, GPS, night vision, and [[M4 carbine]] rifles.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://sify.com/news/us-gives-military-gear-worth-1-2-mn-to-ecuador-news-international-kflkOcfdhhf.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110811144108/http://www.sify.com/news/us-gives-military-gear-worth-1-2-mn-to-ecuador-news-international-kflkOcfdhhf.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=11 August 2011 |title=US gives military gear worth $1.2 mn to Ecuador |website=[[Sify]] |date=11 May 2010 |access-date=28 July 2010}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.worldpoliticsreview.com/blog/5533/leading-indicators-off-the-radar-news-roundup |title=Leading Indicators - Leading Indicators: Off-the-Radar News Roundup |publisher=Worldpoliticsreview.com |date=12 May 2010 |access-date=28 July 2010 |archive-date=14 May 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100514134815/http://www.worldpoliticsreview.com/blog/5533/leading-indicators-off-the-radar-news-roundup |url-status=dead }}</ref>