US approves possible $1.075 billion military sale to Mexico including 11 Black Hawk helicopters, Digi Mart USA News: The U.S. State Department has authorized preparation of a possible military sale to Mexico with an estimated value of $1.075 billion.
The package includes 11 UH-60M Black Hawk helicopters and M-134 machine guns.
The equipment is intended to strengthen Mexico’s tactical support capabilities and operations against organized crime, according to information released about the package. The transaction must still proceed through the U.S.
Congress before it can be formalized through the corresponding contracts.
The operation falls under the Foreign Military Sales program, known as FMS. The mechanism allows foreign governments to buy weapons, defense technology, training and support services directly from the U.S.
government.
The available material does not specify how many M-134 machine guns would be acquired or break down the cost of each component. The announced amount represents the estimated value of the complete operation and may change during final negotiations.
Mexico leads regional acquisitions
According to cited FMS records, projected purchases during the administration of President Claudia Sheinbaum would make Mexico the main buyer of U.S. military equipment in Latin America and the Caribbean.
The planned amount would exceed the combined budget attributed to 32 other nations in the region.
However, the available information does not detail the period used for that comparison or separate amounts tied to completed operations from those still in process.
Recent acquisitions include one by Guatemala, whose government reportedly spent just over $5 million on four aircraft, 2,000 assault rifles and grenade launchers, following the lifting of a commercial embargo that had been in place for four decades. Argentina formalized a Letter of Offer and Acceptance to obtain four UH-60L Black Hawk helicopters.
The material consulted does not specify the individual value of that agreement, though it notes that the combined Guatemala and Argentina operations equal a fraction of the package projected for Mexico.
Previous purchases for the Mexican Air Force
The Mexican Air Force also allocated approximately $140 million to acquire two C-130J-30 Super Hercules tactical transport aircraft made by Lockheed Martin. The bilateral cooperation framework also contemplates the possible acquisition of unmanned aerial systems and counter-drone technology.
An estimate attributed to the Security Assistance Monitor organization calculates that these complementary purchases could reach up to $700 million, although no definitive contract for that amount is indicated so far.
Military acquisitions between the two countries have decades-long precedents. In 1982, Mexico bought 12 Northrop F-5 fighter jets for $150 million to give the Air Force supersonic interception capability.
During the Mérida Initiative, begun under former President Felipe Calderón, U.S.-sourced security equipment and cooperation spending exceeded $1 billion, according to the background included in the report.
Black Hawks in Mexico
In 2014, the acquisition of 18 UH-60M helicopters for $680 million for the Mexican Air Force was approved. Deliveries were also made to the Navy and the then-Federal Police.
A year later, during the government of Enrique Peña Nieto, Mexican purchases included vehicles and 23 Black Hawk helicopters, with combined operations reported at more than $1.3 billion.
The currently available aircraft are used to deploy personnel from bases in strategic regions of northern and Pacific Mexico. The new package would expand that capability, but the announced authorization does not mean the helicopters have been delivered or that the purchase is complete.
The procedure will continue in the United States with the corresponding legislative review. After that stage, agreements between the agencies involved must be formalized and final conditions, delivery timelines, training and technical support must be defined.
