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Mexican Naval Aviation

Naval Aviation branch of the Mexican Navy

Mexican Naval Aviation
Summary

Naval Aviation branch of the Mexican Navy

FieldValue
unit_nameMexican Naval Aviation
native_nameFuerza AeroNaval
dates1918-Present
countryMexico Mexico
branchMexican Navy
typeNaval aviation
roleAerial Surveillance, Troop Transport, Search and Rescue
identification_symbol[[File:Roundel of Mexico – Naval Aviation.svg80px]]
identification_symbol_labelRoundel

Mexican Naval Aviation (FAN; ), is the naval air unit of the Mexican Navy. The Mexican Navy is divided into two naval fleets: Pacific Ocean and Gulf of Mexico.

History

Naval aviation in Mexico dates back to 1918, when a Mexican-made float biplane was successfully tested by Carlos Santa Ana at the Port of Veracruz, In 1926 a squadron of floatplanes were designed and made for the Mexican Navy, but without personnel. Carlos Castillo Breton became the first Mexican naval pilot in 1927 after training in the U.S. and Mexico.

Between 1927 and 1943, more aircraft were acquired, and seven naval officers qualified as pilots, some of whom joined the Mexican Air Force. World War II saw the creation of the Naval Aviation school in 1943 at Las Bajadas, Veracruz. These were also ex-FAM aircraft, used to patrol the Gulf of Mexico for German submarines, and were later used for training at the Naval Aviation School.

Years after the war, Mexican Naval Aviation was assigned to support the ground and sea naval units in search and rescue, coastal patrol, and assistance to the general population in case of emergencies or disasters.

1990s

In the 1990s, the Mexican navy started to acquire Russian-built aircraft and helicopters, including the Mil Mi-2, Mil Mi-8 and Antonov An-32B. They also purchased French, U.S. and German-made helicopters and the Finnish-built L-90 Redigo. In 1999 the Mexican navy started a program to build kit planes and light helicopters at Las Bajadas, Veracruz.

2023

In 2023 the Mexican naval aviation reported it had 120 aircraft, of which 68 were fixed-wing in 9 squadrons, and 54 helicopters in 9 squadrons, either land-based or aboard ocean patrol boats and frigates.

Later purchases were three ex-IDF/AF E-2C Hawkeyes, the first arriving in early July 2004. At the end of the same month, the first two EADS upgraded C212-200 Aviocars flew back to Mexico, with the remaining six being upgraded at BAN Las Bajadas, Mexico. Two AS565 Panther helicopters were purchased for shipborne duties, and delivered in 2005.

Aircraft

Current inventory

CASA C-212-400E Aviocar]] [[cargo plane]] in 2007
6}}
A CASA C-295M on the tarmac
An AS565 Panther of the Mexican Navy
AircraftOriginTypeVariantIn serviceMaritime patrolTransportHelicoptersTrainer aircraft
King AirUnited Statessurveillance350last = Hoylefirst = Craigurl= https://www.flightglobal.com/download?ac=98881title = World Air Forces 2024publisher= FlightGlobalyear= 2023access-date= 7 March 2024}}
CASA C-212Spainmaritime patrol7
CASA CN-235Spain / Indonesiamaritime patrol / SAR6
Cessna 208United Statesutility / transport2
Super King AirUnited Statesutility / transport3504
CASA CN-235Spain / Indonesiamaritime patrol / SAR6
Bombardier Dash 8Canadamaritime patrol / SAR2
Turbo CommanderUnited Statestransport4
Learjet 45United Statesutility / transport2
Mil Mi-17Russiautility22
MD ExplorerUnited Statesutility6
Sikorsky UH-60United StatesutilityUH-60M10
Eurocopter EC725FranceSAR / transport3
Eurocopter AS565FranceSAR / utility14
Eurocopter AS555Franceutility1
Zlín Z 42Czech Republictrainer24226
Zlin Z 43Czech Republictrainer1432
T-6 Texan IIUnited StatestrainerT-6C+13
Sikorsky S-333United Statesrotorcraft trainer10

References

References

  1. "Secretaria de Marina - Armada de México".
  2. "Secretaria de Marina - Armada de México".
  3. "Mexican Naval Air Arms".
  4. Hoyle, Craig. (2023). "World Air Forces 2024". [[FlightGlobal]].
Wikipedia Source

This article was imported from Wikipedia and is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Content has been adapted to SurfDoc format. Original contributors can be found on the article history page.

mexican-navy naval-aviation-services aviation-in-mexico
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