March 4 (Reuters) - A crisis is growing in the Andean region with Ecuador and Venezuela breaking off diplomatic ties with Bogota after Colombian troops killed a top rebel in Ecuador. Here are some facts about the dispute:
* With 178,000 soldiers, Colombia's army is more than twice the size of the Venezuelan and Ecuadorean armies combined. Colombian troops and police are experienced fighting rebels, paramilitaries and drug traffickers. U.S. trainers and billions of dollars in aid from Washington have bolstered their military intelligence and combat capabilities.
* Aided by soaring oil prices, Venezuela's President Hugo Chavez has spent heavily on military hardware recently. After Washington blocked arms sales to Caracas, Chavez purchased Russian-made Sukhoi high-performance fighter jets, attack helicopters and 100,000 new AK-103 rifles.
* Analysts say most of Venezuela's fleet of U.S.-made F-16 fighters is not fully operational after Washington banned sales of spare parts and upgrades. Its pilots are still training on the new Russian jet fighters.
Here is a look at the three military forces by the numbers.
Colombia Ecuador Venezuela ARMY 178,000 37,000 34,000 Combat tanks 12 +180 197 Armed vehicles 135 +90 30 Armed transport 192 130 290 Artillery, mortars 639 +156 347 Helicopters 41 30 26 NAVY 22,000 5,500 18,300 Submarines 4 2 2 Frigates, corvette-class 4 8 6 Patrol boats 179 15 15 Aircraft 9 11 16 Helicopters 3 10 14 Marine infantry 14,000 1,700 7,800 AIR FORCE 7,000 4,000 7,000 Combat aircraft 52 56 125 Transport 24 23 55 Training 41 14 51 Helicopters 61 15 80 Air Defense/SAMs 0 +165 +10 Artillery +30 260 +228 41 14 51 Helicopters 61 15 80 Air Defense/SAMs 0 +165 +10 Artillery +30 260 +228 41 14 51 Helicopters 61 15 80 Air Defense/SAMs 0 +165 +10 Artillery +30 260 +228 41 14 51 Helicopters 61 15 80 Air Defense/SAMs 0 +165 +10 Artillery +30 260 +228
Sources: Jane's The Military Balance 2006, www.globalsecurity.org, Reuters. (Reporting by Spanish language desk, Patrick Markey in Bogota)
Venezuela's Foreign Minister Nicolas Maduro speaks to the media during a news conference at Miraflores Palace in Caracas March 3, 2008. Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez ordered tanks to the border after ...
