Nicaragua’s arsenal of surface-to-air shoulder-launch SAM-7 missiles has long been a bone of contention and a bargaining chip between this country and the USA. The number of such weapons was reduced significantly under the last administration in exchange for improved relations between the two countries, including military cooperation.

In late July, President Daniel Ortega suggested that in exchange for destroying around two-thirds of the remaining 1050 missiles, the United States could give Nicaragua some medical equipment for the country’s ailing healthcare system plus some helicopters to be used to fight drug trafficking and defend forests from illegal loggers.

The helicopters were quickly dropped from the wish list, likely because the nation’s armed forces have already called for bids from countries that can supply them with these aircrafts, including Brazil, Venezuela, and reportedly Libya.