Mexico Orders 6 EC725 Helicopters

[Judi Lynn]

Mexico Orders 6 EC725 Helicopters
06-May-2009 11:29 EDT

Shephard Group reports that Mexico has become the EC725 Cougar’s 2nd export customer, thanks to a Mexican Ministry of Defense order for 6 helicopters. France currently operates 14 specialized variants of the EC725, a heavily modernized version of the popular Super Puma military helicopter. Brazil became the EC725’s first export customer with a $1.1 billion order for 50 helicopters to equip its Army, Air Force, and Navy.

The medium-lift helicopters will reportedly be used for transport and civil security missions, but these are military helicopters. A recent report adds that they will replace existing Russian machines…

Mexico has some experience with this type already. The civilian EC225 version has a separate order base, and currently serves as a Mexican Presidential helicopter. Even so, DID Latin American correspondent Inigo Guevara reports that Eurocopter’s key to victory lay elsewhere:

~snip~
Mexico is currently facing a significant “open source” insurgency that has claimed between 6,000 – 8,000 lives over the past 2 years, and is busy beefing up its military capabilities on several fronts in order to cope. UAVs and aerostats, integrated urban surveillance systems, and quick-response transport all provide useful counterinsurgency capabilities – if they can be complemented by good on-the-ground intelligence and solid governance.

More:
http://www.defenseindustrydaily.com/Mexico-Orders-6-EC725-Helicopters-05327/