The Mexican Ministry of Defense recently signed a contract for six EC725s—a major success for Eurocopter de Mexico SA (EMSA), which sold the first Eurocopter helicopter to the Mexican Air Force in forty years.

The six EC725s, which are scheduled for delivery in 2011 and 2012, will be used to transport troops and to evacuate natural disaster victims. “This is a major achievement for us,” says Dominique Gavault, CEO of Eurocopter de Mexico SA, “but it also sets a major challenge. Up until now, American and Russian helicopters have been the mainstays of the Mexican Ministry of Defense. This new contract marks the dawning of a new era.”
The contract also includes support services, such as training for pilots and technicians, technical support and spare parts procurement. Once the helicopters have been delivered, EMSA will be tasked with providing logistics support, managing warranties and repairing spare parts.
“We have already implemented measures to adapt our activities to better meet our customer’s needs,” explains Mr. Gavault. “According to estimates, the Ministry of Defense and the Mexican navy will need several dozen medium- and heavy-lift helicopters. This contract may only be the first of many, and we plan to increase our work force to 200 employees and to add another 1,000 m² to our facilities in order to strengthen our maintenance and support activities.”
In related news, EMSA has created a flight school to provide pilots with ab-initio training (see article, page 29). Eurocopter’s Mexican subsidiary also plans to expand its support activities to provide overhaul and repair services for the entire Eurocopter fleet in Central America, and will also be increasing its industrial activities in Mexico.