Helicopters Will Be Assigned To Transport And Civil Security Operations

The Mexican Ministry of Defense has signed an agreement with Eurocopter for the purchase of six EC725 helicopters. Together with the same number of rotary-wing aircraft ordered in March of last year, Eurocopter will now be supplying a total of 12 EC725s to Mexico’s SEDENA (Secretaría de La Defensa Nacional) beginning in the second quarter of 2011 for use in transport and civil security missions.

The signature ceremony, held last week in Mexico City, was attended by Guillermo Galván Galván, the Secretary of National Defense; the Commander of the Mexican Air Force, Division General Leonardo González García; the Director General of Administration, Brigadier General Augusto Moisés Garcia Ochoa, who represented the Ministry of Defense; Ernesto Cordero Arroyo, the Secretary of Finance and Public Credit; and Joseph Saporito, Eurocopter’s Executive Vice President – Commercial Helicopters.

This contract represents a further consolidation of Eurocopter’s presence in Mexico, which is managed by its Eurocopter de Mexico S.A. de C.V. subsidiary. A majority of the country's government departments have been operating Eurocopter helicopters for decades, which are utilized in supporting the airlift and transportation needs of the Mexican President, the Navy Secretariat, the Ministry of Defense and other users.
“Such an important follow-on order underscores the confidence that Mexico’s government has placed in Eurocopter, which builds on our subsidiary’s 28 years of experience and investment in the country,” said Saporito.

Eurocopter de México is based at Mexico City International Airport, providing maintenance services for helicopters located in the region. Staffed by nearly 200 employees, Eurocopter de México does aircraft assembly, maintenance and painting  at its Mexico City International Airport facilities. It also provides professional training for helicopter pilots and technicians through partnership agreements with educational institutions such as the National Polytechnic Institute (IPN), Mexico’s National Technical Professional School (CONALEP), the country’s Pilot Training Academy and Heliescuela. In addition to its Mexican market responsibilities, Eurocopter de México also covers Central America, northern South America and the Caribbean.

FMI: www.eurocopter.com