This is a list of equipment of the Ecuadorian Army. Historically, the Ecuadorian Army depended on various foreign suppliers like India, the United States and Germany for virtually all of its equipment needs. The rotary wing of the Ecuadorian Army depends on HAL Dhruv helicopters from India. 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 consumable items. The Army's present-day equipment is mostly of Western origin.
Army Armoured fighting vehicles
ModelImageOriginQuantityDetailsLight tanksAMX-13~108 In 1988, Ecuador upgraded its fleet of 108 AMX-13 light tanks armed with 105 mm guns. SOPELEM supplied the basic day version of its SOPTAC 18 fire-control system with laser rangefinder and its control unit. Fives-Cail Babcock provided kits to modify the 105 mm gun and its ammunition system to allow APFSDS rounds to be fired. Work on upgrading the AMX-13s started in Ecuador late in 1988 and was completed in 1990.Reconnaissance vehicleEE-3 Jararaca~10EE-9 Cascavel ~32Armoured personnel carriersAMX-VCI~82M113~20EE-11 Urutu~17UR-416~32Cobra II ~20
Artillery ModelImageOriginCaliberQuantityDetailsMortarM2981mm~357TowedModel 56 pack105mm~24M101~36M2A2~24M114155mm~12M198~10Self-propelledMk F3155mm~5Multiple rocket launchersBM-21 Grad122mm~18RM-70~6
Air defence ModelImageOriginCaliberQuantityDetailsMan-portable air-defense systems9K32 Strela-272mmn/a9K38 Iglan/aBlowpipe76mmn/aTowed anti-aircraft gunsZPU-114.5mm~128ZPU-2M-193520mm~28M167 Vulcan~10L/7040 × 365mm~30Self-propelledM163 Vulcan20mm~44
Vehicles and small arms Model Image Origin Type Versions In service Notes Armoured personnel carrier/Infantry mobility vehicles BLR Armoured personnel carrier (wheeled) 35 Status unknown. 4x4Otokar UralTactical wheeled armoured vehicle15 Light armored vehicles Agrale Marruá Transport and recognition AM10AM20 130 First lot bought by Ecuador in February 2009 as a reconnaissance variant. Second lot bought in August 2009 as transport variant. AIL Storm Utility M-240 Storm Mark I 280 4x4 Tiuna Utility UR-53AR50 4 Donated by Venezuela in April 2009. Humvee TransportAnti-tankAnti-aircraft 820 118 Humvees were donated by US NAS in 2003. The Israeli MAPATS anti-tank version was created in 2009. Other anti-tank variants include the Chinese HJ-8 system. In 2013, 107 new units were acquired. Less reliable sources suggest that 500 Humvees are currently in use within the Armed Forces. Commercial Utility Cargo Vehicle Commercial utility cargo vehicle CUCV II 200 The CUCV II was procured by the Ecuadorian military in limited quantities. Truck M939 Truck 6×6 truck Transport 76 Donated by the US NAS program in 2003. M35 truck Transport 64 Hino truck Transport 15 Donated by the US NAS program in 2010.Unimog 4×4 truck Anti-aircraft warfare ? Equipped with Anti-tank or Anti-aircraft weapon systems.Engesa EE-25 6×6 truck Transport 35 In the process of recovery.Sinotruk HOWO 6×6 truck Transport 293 Multipurpose Trucks.Sinotruk HOWO 4x4 truck Transport 226 Multipurpose Trucks.Sinotruk HOWO 336 6×4 truck Water tank 28 Sinotruk HOWO 336 6×4 truck Fuel tank 20 Sinotruk HOWO A7 6×4 heavy tractor Tank transporter 27 Head Truck 30T.Sinotruk HOWO A7 6×4 tractor Transport 35 Mule-type truck 22T.Sinotruk HOWO 371 6×4 tractor Dump truck 11 12m Cubic.Sinotruk HOWO 4x4 truck Transport 99 Multipurpose Trucks 3.5TSinotruk HOWO 4x4 truck Transport 20 Van truck 5T. Anti-material warfare Spike Shoulder-launched missile 170mm ATGM 244 Some units are mounted on vehicles. Deliveries started in October 2009. MAPATS Shoulder-launched missile 155mm ATGM ? Some units are mounted on vehicles. Euromissile HOT / Missile launchers 150mm ATGM ? Mounted on Aérospatiale Gazelle helicopters. MILAN / Shoulder-launched missile 125mm ATGM ? Some units are mounted on vehicles. C90-CR (M3) Shoulder-launched missile 90mm RPG ? M72 LAW Shoulder-launched missile 66mm RPG(M-72A-3 LAW) ? RPG-7 Shoulder-launched missile 40mm RPG ? Used by the Marine Corps. Anti-aircraft warfare ZU-23-2 TowedMounted 2 × 23 mm Anti-Aircraft Twin AutocannonType 85 34 AA System.Some units are mounted on vehicles. Mobile surface-to-air missile system 9K33 Osa Mobile 6x6 amphibious self-propelled 200 mm SAM system 10 Surface-to-air missile MBDA Mistral Man-portable air-defense system 90 mm Surface-to-air missile ? Some are mounted on vehicles. Also used by Marine Corps. HN-5 Man-portable air-defense system 72 mm Surface-to-air missileHN-5A ? Small arms Browning Hi-Power 9mm Pistol ? Jones, Richard D. Jane's Infantry Weapons 2009/2010. Jane's Information Group; 35 edition (January 27, 2009). . M1911 .45 Pistol ? Glock-17 9mm Pistol ? Type 56 7.62mm Assault rifle 10,000 They will be used for conscript training. Donated by China. FN FAL 7.62mm Battle rifle 50,000 Former standard rifle of the Army, it was replaced by the HK 33 since 1994, the FN FAL is still used by some units such as Jungle Infantry where the 7.62mm round has its advantages. SIG SG 540 5.56mm Battle rifle ? M16A2 5.56mm Assault rifle ? Colt M16A1, M16A2 & CAR-15A1 (M16A1 carbine delivered. M4 carbine 5.56mm Carbine ? M4s sold as a 2008 Foreign Military Sales package. Steyr AUG 5.56mm Bullpup assault rifle ? Used also by Ecuadorian UN operatives and jungle warfare units. Delivered between 1987 and 1989. Daewoo K2 5.56mm Assault rifle ? HK 33 5.56mm Assault rifle 33,000+ Used also by Ecuadorian Naval Infantry, Ecuadorian UN operatives, paramilitary units, and the 9th Special Forces Brigade. 30,000 units (produced in England) were delivered in 1994. A further 3,000 units were acquired through Chile. An unknown quantity was purchased from Turkey (HK-33A-2 and HK-33A-3). HK MP5A5 9mm Submachine gun ? Used (also) by: Ecuadorian Naval Infantry, Air Force Infantry detachments and the Counter-terror unit GEO. Night-vision and SD versions available. Uzi 9mm Submachine gun 5.000 Used (also) by: Air Force Infantry PSG-1 7.62mm Sniper rifle ? M24 SWS 7.62mm Sniper rifle ? FN MAG 7.62mm General-purpose machine gun ? Heckler & Koch HK21 5.56mm General-purpose machine gun ? FN Minimi 5.56m Squad automatic weapon ? Daewoo K3 5.56m Light machine gun ? Milkor MGL 40mm Infantry support weapon ? AGS-17 30mm Infantry support weapon ? Colt M203 40mm GL HK-79A-1 40mm GL M1919 .30-06 Infantry support ? M2HB .50 BMG Anti-materialInfantry support ?
Aircraft Aircraft Image Origin Type Versions In service Notes Trainer aircraft T-41 Mescalero Primary pilot trainer T-41D 2 Cessna 182 Primary pilot trainer 4 Utility aircraft Pilatus PC-6 Light transport Turbo Porter 5 STOL aircraft, the Porter series was produced under license in the States. Maule M-7 Liaison aircraft MT-7-235 Super Rocket 3 Aerial reconnaissance Cessna Citation II Aerial survey 550 1 Transport Beechcraft Super King Air Light transport/Utility 3 IAI Arava Light transport 201 2 STOL aircraft. PZL M28 Skytruck Light transport 1 STOL aircraft. Delivered in August 2018 to replace crashed IAI Arava. CASA C-212 Aviocar Tactical transport 400 2 STOL aircraft. CASA C-235 Tactical transport 2 Military helicopter Airbus H225M Super Puma Medium lift-transport H225M 2 5 ordered. Mil Mi-17 Medium lift-transport Mi-17-1VMi-171E 91 Aérospatiale SA 330 Puma Medium lift-transport SA.330LAS 332B 62 Aérospatiale AS 332 Super Puma Medium lift-transport 332M 12 A total of one unit was delivered. Since then only six are in use. Various sources state that one or a few units might have been acquired in the AS332M variant. It is being planned to modernise, overhaul and upgrade the remaining helicopters until 2018. Eurocopter AS532 Cougar Medium lift-transport AS532 UL/AL 8 Bell 412 Transport/Utility helicopter 4 Bell 214 Transport/Utility helicopter 214B 1 Bell 212 Transport/Utility helicopter 4 Bell 206 Light utility helicopter 9 Eurocopter AS350 Écureuil Light utility helicopter AS350 BAS 350B2AS 350B3 612 Eurocopter Fennec Light attack helicopter/Light utility helicopter AS550 C3 FennecAS555 Fennec 2 117
Retired Aérospatiale Gazelle - Light attack helicopter/Observation helicopter - SA 342L1 In 2003 only 26 were operational. One (no#E-342) crashed on August 1, 2008, killing the crew. Two crashed on January 24, 2007, killing the Defence Minister. All were equipped with HOT missiles between 1982 and 1983. Remaining helicopters been modernized and improved with Israeli technology . Retired 20 January 2025.
References