Ecuador to hand over Russian-made Mi-171 Hip fleet to the US

Ecuador’s President Daniel Noboa announced that his government will transfer its Russian-made military equipment – including anti-aircraft systems and transport helicopters – to the US, which will then be exchanged for new materiel. Talks between Quito and Washington DC initially began in 2023 but were halted because the Ecuadorian government’s Regulation on the Administration and Control of Public Sector Assets in Defense prohibits the exchange of military equipment, instead favouring the sale of second-hand materiel to other forces and companies.