Mexico is upgrading its helicopter fleet to a standard previously unknown in the region. Mariano García and Jose Quevedo visited Escuadrón Aéreo 108, the first Mexican Air Force UH-60M Black Hawk operator, to review the type’s status in military service.
MEXICAN BLACK HAWKS
THE BLACK Hawk is no stranger to Mexican skies, having made its combat debut in 1994 during the armed Ejército Zapatista de Liberación Nacional (EZLN, Zapatista Army of National Liberation) uprising. At the time, the Fuerza Aérea Mexicana (FAM, Mexican Air Force) had two S-70A24 helicopters in service, purchased in 1991 as VIP transports for the Secretaría de la Defensa Nacional (SEDENA, Secretariat of National Defence). However, the second aircraft was assigned to the now defunct Grupo Aeromóvil de Fuerzas Especiales (GAFES, Airmobile Special Forces Group) and its performance was so impressive that four additional S-70A24s were bought in late 1994 and allocated to the now disbanded Escuadrón de Operaciones Especiales 216 (216th Special Operations Squadron).
All six S-70A24s were subsequently modified for compatibility with Aviator NV Imaging System (ANVIS) night-vision goggles (NVGs) and equipped with GPS receivers, while their cr…
