The United States State Department on Friday approved a possible foreign military sale of UH-60M Black Hawk helicopters to Mexico at an estimated value of 1.08 billion dollars, Reuters reported. The principal contractor is Sikorsky, a Lockheed Martin company based in Stratford, Connecticut.
The package covers 11 helicopters, according to Army Recognition’s account of the notification, together with 27 T700-GE-701D engines, 27 EAGLE-M+429 embedded global positioning and inertial navigation systems and 27 AN/ARC-231A radios. The 1.075 billion dollar estimate also bundles spare and repair parts, tools, support equipment, technical publications, training and engineering and logistics services, so it is a package ceiling rather than a unit price for the aircraft.
Mexico requested the helicopters to expand its existing Black Hawk fleet for in-country airlift in support of counter-drug operations. The notification does not identify the receiving units or operating bases, and no delivery schedule has been set.
A State Department approval of this kind authorizes a potential sale and notifies Congress; it is not a signed purchase contract. The final scope and value remain subject to negotiation between the two governments, and the delivered package can come in below the notified estimate.