Ecuador to purchase warplanes to bolster border security

[Judi Lynn]

Source: Xinhua

Ecuador to purchase warplanes to bolster border security
www.chinaview.cn 2008-06-26 10:25:59

QUITO, June 25 (Xinhua) -- Ecuador's armed forces plan to buy warplanes, new radar and other equipment to beef up the country's capability of handling emergency problems, Defense Minister Javier Ponce said Wednesday.

Ponce said the government is buying multi-purpose light military jets, unmanned aircraft and new radar systems with the total investment of 400 million U.S. dollars.

Of the amount, 270 million dollars will be used to buy 24 Super Tucano planes made by Brazilian aircraft manufacturer Embraer. Other funds will be used to buy six Israeli-made unmanned aircraft and a batch of radar and telecommunications equipment.

The defense minister said Ecuador's armed forces also plan to buy air defense missiles and a netted radar system in batches; and to build three radar stations to create coverage for the whole country.

Ecuador has also bought two light frigates from Chile for 24 million dollars.




Read more: http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2008-06/26/content_8441930.htm

[Judi Lynn]

1. Ecuador buying warplanes, drones and radar to strengthen troubled border with Colombia

Ecuador buying warplanes, drones and radar to strengthen troubled border with Colombia
FRANK BAJAK, Associated Press Writer



June 25, 2008 2:58 PM

QUITO, Ecuador (AP) - Colombian rebels in northern Ecuador are an old problem that previous governments failed to confront, Ecuador's defense minister told The Associated Press, announcing additions to a growing arsenal aimed at securing the Andean nation's borders.

Defense Minister Javier Ponce said in an interview that the government is buying six Israeli-made unmanned aerial vehicles and new radar so it can get a better handle on its borders, especially the troubled frontier with Colombia.

The acquisitions are in addition to 24 Super Tucano warplanes announced in May.

He said he does not consider Colombia a national security threat, though the leftist Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia that dominates the northern border zone - and the illegal drug trade that fuels its insurgency - are a danger.

''We are not able to impede the establishment of guerrilla camps or drug labs, but to the degree that we have been dismantling a series of labs and camps we are establishing a certain capacity to prevent this from getting out of control,'' Ponce told the AP on Tuesday evening.

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