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Air Forces comparison: Flag of Ecuador Ecuador vs Flag of Nicaragua Nicaragua

Ecuador's air force fields 156 active aircraft — 9.2:1 Nicaragua's 17.

AIRS (Air Inventory Rating of Strength) Index face-off Full ranking →
Roundel of Ecuador EcuadorWorld #68 5.9
AIRS Index / 100

Ecuador leads on 6 of 6 categories

Roundel of Nicaragua NicaraguaWorld #135 1.5
  • 17 Combat aircraftweight ×50 · generation 0
  • 72 Helicoptersweight ×10 · era 11
  • 28 Transportweight ×10 4
  • 14 Special missionweight ×8 1
  • 6 UAVsweight ×10 0
  • 19 Trainersweight ×1 1
Ecuador Nicaragua Bars: weighted contribution to the AIRS Index (airframes × category weight; combat and bombers by generation tier, helicopters by era; the enabler, armament and availability multipliers apply on top) · figures: active airframes at each side's latest inventory year · Methodology
Key figures as of 2026
Ecuador Nicaragua Ratio
Official name Ecuadorian Air Force Nicaraguan Army Air Force
Active aircraft 156 17 🇪🇨 9.2×
Aircraft on order 13 0 🇪🇨
Combat aircraft 17 0 🇪🇨
Combat share of fleet 10.9 % 0.0 % 🇪🇨
Aircraft types in service 34 6 🇪🇨 5.7×
Main supplier United States · 41 % Ex-USSR · 82 %
Show full breakdown · 5 more rowsHide the 5 extra rows
Helicopters 72 11 🇪🇨 6.5×
Transport aircraft 28 4 🇪🇨 7.0×
Special-mission aircraft 14 1 🇪🇨 14×
Trainers 19 1 🇪🇨 19×
UAVs 6 0 🇪🇨
Backbone aircraft most numerous in service
🇪🇨 Ecuador206 JetRanger ×24EMB-314 Super Tucano ×17H125M / AS550 Fennec ×10
🇳🇮 NicaraguaMi-8 Hip ×8An-26 Curl ×4Mi-17 Hip-H ×2
Fleet evolution · Ecuador
Fleet evolution · Nicaragua
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Ecuador vsVenezuelaCubaArgentinaBoliviaPeru
Nicaragua vsDominican RepublicParaguayEl SalvadorHondurasGuatemala

Frequently Asked Questions

Which country has more military aircraft, Ecuador or Nicaragua?
Ecuador has more military aircraft with 156 active aircraft compared to Nicaragua's 17, a difference of 139 aircraft.
Which air force has more combat aircraft, Ecuador or Nicaragua?
Ecuador has more combat aircraft with 17 fighters and attack aircraft compared to Nicaragua's 0.
Which country has more military helicopters, Ecuador or Nicaragua?
Ecuador operates more military helicopters with 72 compared to Nicaragua's 11.
Which air force has more transport aircraft, Ecuador or Nicaragua?
Ecuador has more transport aircraft with 28 compared to Nicaragua's 4.
How do the Ecuador and Nicaragua air forces compare in size?
Ecuador's air force is 9.2 times larger than Nicaragua's in terms of total active aircraft (156 vs 17).
Which country has more aircraft on order, Ecuador or Nicaragua?
Ecuador has 13 aircraft on order compared to Nicaragua's 0.