US Clears $1,075 Million Sale of 11 Black Hawk Helicopters to Mexico

The US State Department has approved a possible sale of 11 UH-60M Black Hawk helicopters to the Mexican government, in a deal valued at 1,075 million dollars. The approval was confirmed on Nov. 6 and has been sent to the US Congress for review, El Diario de Sonora reported.

The sale is not final. It has cleared the authorization stage only, and the two governments and the manufacturer still have to negotiate the terms before any aircraft change hands.

What Mexico asked for

The request came from the Mexican government itself. According to notice number 26-104 from the State Department’s Bureau of Political-Military Affairs, Mexico wants to modernize its helicopter fleet by cutting down the number of aircraft types it flies and adding to the fleet it already has.

The main contractor would be Sikorsky, the Connecticut-based helicopter maker owned by Lockheed Martin.

What comes with the helicopters

The package goes well beyond the 11 airframes. The authorized list includes:

• 27 T700-GE-701D engines
• 27 EAGLE-M+429 units that combine inertial navigation and GPS
• 27 AN/ARC-231A RT-1987 satellite communication radios
• APX-128 identification friend-or-foe transponders and KIV-79 cryptographic computers
• AN/AVS-6 night-vision goggles, a color weather radar and an MX-10D electro-optical and infrared camera system with a laser designator

For protection, the list covers engine barrier filters, ballistic armor, auxiliary fuel tanks and inverted exhaust systems, which reduce the heat signature of the engines. Rescue equipment is also included: winches mounted on the fuselage and fast-rope systems that let crews drop to the ground by rope. The helicopters would also carry M-134 machine guns.

Who would fly them

The State Department notice did not say which Mexican institution would receive the new aircraft. Three forces already operate Black Hawks in Mexico: the Defense Ministry (Sedena), the Navy Ministry (Semar) and the National Guard (Guardia Nacional).

In its statement, Washington said the sale would support US foreign policy and national security goals by strengthening a partner it described as a force for political stability and economic progress in the region.

What it means for Mexico

For residents, the deal is mainly a signal of where federal security spending and US cooperation are heading. Black Hawks are the workhorse helicopters of Mexico’s armed forces and the National Guard, used for troop transport, rescues and security operations. A larger, more uniform fleet with night-vision gear, satellite radios and infrared cameras would give those forces more capacity to fly at night and in bad weather.

The 1,075 million dollar figure is the ceiling of the approved package, not a signed contract. The final price and number of items can change during negotiations.

What happens next

The US government said it does not currently know of any offset agreement tied to the sale. Offsets are side deals in which a seller commits to invest in or buy from the buyer country. If any are agreed, US officials said, they will be worked out directly between the Mexican government and Sikorsky during negotiations.

Congress has been notified, and the Mexican side has not announced when a purchase contract might be signed.

Source: eldiariodesonora.com.mx