Slip, de quando é essa notícia?
Evidentemente, as operações de monitoramento da área são confidenciais, assim como as realizadas pela FAB, e portanto ninguém conta como e onde são utilizados os AWACS, é nem só o E-3 é AWACS.
Mas, aqui estão algumas fontes:
Indeed in October 2001 the US, after spending $60 million, opened a new runway at Manta that was especially designed to accommodate huge transport and AWACS aerial reconnaissance aircraft that can be used for counter-guerrilla operations over Colombia.
http://www.anncol.com/march_2002/0803US_ROLE_IN_COLOMBIA.htm
As três guarnições já abrigam aviões-espiões, aeronaves de transporte, modernos caças F-16 e se preparam para receber os sofisticados aviões-radar Awacs, de última geração em rastreamento eletrônico. As bases foram montadas nos dois últimos anos, em substituição à base Howard (no Panamá), desativada em 1999. A idéia é que, juntas, as três bases viabilizem 2 mil missões (vôos) anuais de rastreio e interceptação de aeronaves usadas por narcotraficantes.
http://www.defesanet.com.br/zh/25mar01.htm
In April 2001 a CIA-operated AWACS aircraft reported Peruvian air force of a drug smuggler plane approaching Iquitos. A Peruvian fighter tried to contact the plane without result. The American civil plane was shot and it made emergency landing to river. Two persons died. Quite obviously the question was of an operation to manipulate public opinion in the US in order to accuse south Americans in general. At the same time this incident gave pretext to stop radar control flights above Colombia. Hence coca smugglers may now fly even more freely than before.
http://www.kominf.pp.fi/Rextra.html
No próprio depoimento do General Charles Wilhelm, ele diz que só é necessária a reforma da Base Aérea de Manta, para a operação dos E-3, reformada em 2001, de acordo com a minha 1ª notícia.
The FOL in Manta, Ecuador is my number one theater architecture priority. Manta is crucial to attaining deep Source Zone air coverage with Airborne Early Warning aircraft, and it is the only FOL that enables us to achieve full coverage of Peru and Colombia and nearly all of Bolivia. We concluded a long-term access agreement last November and are now able to operate three medium-size aircraft (e.g., P-3 and C-130) from Manta under visual flight rules during daylight hours. All weather, 24-hour operations will begin this April, following completion of necessary improvements to satisfy mandated safety requirements. The Manta FOL military construction in the proposed supplemental bill will fund infrastructure improvements required for KC-135 and E-3 aircraft, giving us the ability to conduct unconstrained Detection, Monitoring, and Tracking operations.
http://bogota.usembassy.gov/wwwscw08.shtml