Central/South American Military News, Reports, Data, etc.

Jeff Head

General
Registered Member
I wonder how and under what circumstances the helicopter was brought down. Jane's reports that it supposedly took fire from a 12.7mm Barret anti-materiel rifle.
IMHO, from the article:

Article said:
A Cougar helicopter (EC 725) of Mexican Force Area , registration number 1009, was attacked on May 1 with shooting by an armed group, a convoy of vehicles in which alleged members of a criminal group moved, prompting an emergency descent and the deaths of three soldiers, 12 injured and three others missing, according to Monte Alejandro Rubido, National Security commissioner.

The Mexican Secretariat of National Defense (SEDENA) said in a statement that the Cougar was shot down with 18 soldiers on board: 5 of crew, passengers and 2 11 military officers of the Federal Police. Three soldiers were killed and another 10 members of the Army and two federal police officers were injured.

It is almost certainly drug related. Sounds like they were conducting an operation against that very convoy and the convoy opened fire on them, damaging the aircraft and forcing it to make a hard landing which killed the three and injured others.
 
I should have been more specific, I meant what kind of weapons took it down? If the cartel has MANPADs or HMGs specifically designed for an AA role. And was the helo in the middle of hovering, landing, disembarking etc?

There also was no information on whether the operation succeeded or if the cartel convoy got away. It would be disappointing if it got away and I hope the Mexican military will have heavier firepower next time to just take the targets out if they choose to fight.
 

Jeff Head

General
Registered Member
I should have been more specific, I meant what kind of weapons took it down? If the cartel has MANPADs or HMGs specifically designed for an AA role. And was the helo in the middle of hovering, landing, disembarking etc?

There also was no information on whether the operation succeeded or if the cartel convoy got away. It would be disappointing if it got away and I hope the Mexican military will have heavier firepower next time to just take the targets out if they choose to fight.
Well the article only mentioned the .50 cal barrets...and that certainly could have done it.

From the reading it sounded like it took fire in the air, was damaged, and had to crash land.

Whether it was hovering, preparing to land when it was hit, o was higher, it does not really say.

Also, it does not indicate whether the operation proceeded.

Sounds like the troops for the op were on that helo so I believe the op was probably aborted and became a rescue op.
 

Miragedriver

Brigadier
I should have been more specific, I meant what kind of weapons took it down? If the cartel has MANPADs or HMGs specifically designed for an AA role. And was the helo in the middle of hovering, landing, disembarking etc?

There also was no information on whether the operation succeeded or if the cartel convoy got away. It would be disappointing if it got away and I hope the Mexican military will have heavier firepower next time to just take the targets out if they choose to fight.
7 dead, 19 wounded, 19 arrested in Jalisco
Cartel mounted its offensive in response to an operation against it


Mexico News Daily | Saturday, May 2, 2015

Yesterday was the beginning of the Labor Day puente, or long weekend, in Mexico, and for many citizens of Guadalajara that meant getting out of the city for a few days.

It was the early-risers among them who first encountered signs that it might not be an ordinary day in the state of Jalisco. Their photos and videos of burning vehicles at various key locations quickly began circulating on social media.

It wasn’t long after, about 7:00am, when a military helicopter spotted a convoy of vehicles carrying armed passengers and got too close.

The Mexican Air Force Cougar EC725 took a hit in the tail rotor and was forced to make an emergency landing, killing three soldiers and wounding 12. Three passengers disappeared and have yet to be found.

There was no report on what happened to the aggressors, but it appears they fled the scene, leaving behind four vehicles, one of which contained a Russian-made rocket-launcher believed to have fired the shot that brought down the helicopter.

The aircraft was engaged in Operation Jalisco, a coordinated multi-force action intended to go after the Jalisco Nueva Generación cartel (CJNG) in both Jalisco and Colima.

But yesterday, the cartel struck back.

In a well-coordinated and well-organized operation, the cartel that has risen to become known as the country’s most dangerous implemented “narco-blockades” — trucks, buses and other vehicles set on fire — at 37 locations in 25 municipalities. Seven of the municipalities were in the Guadalajara metropolitan area and 18 in the rest of the state.

There was a confrontation in the city of Autlán in the southwest where a state official died, and arson attacks on 11 banks and at gas stations across the state, including five gas stations and two banks in Puerto Vallarta. Arson was attempted at another 14 gas stations. All told, 36 vehicles were incinerated in Jalisco.

At the end of the day, there were seven deaths: three Armed Forces personnel, a state police officer, a state official, a civilian bystander and two presumed gang members. There were 19 people wounded, three civilians among them, and 19 arrested.

Authorities said the narco-blockades were cleared in Guadalajara by 1:30pm yesterday and traffic was moving again. Worst affected was the Periférico.

According to one report published last night by VICE News, the operation was specifically targeting the capture of cartel leader Nemesio “El Mencho” Oseguera Cervantes. Milenio newspaper editor Jaime Barrera said in a tweet that the blockades were in response to El Mencho’s capture. The tactic, designed to impede the movements of security forces who have detained a gang leader, was carried out by the cartel in 2012, and
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after the capture of a leader of the Gulf Cartel.

But authorities have made no mention of a capture and at press conferences in Guadalajara yesterday, officials took no questions.

The violence wasn’t restricted to Jalisco, said National Security Commissioner Monte Alejandro Rubido. It extended into Colima, Guanajuato and Michoacán, where several narco-blockades were erected.

In Colima, five vehicles were set on fire on different highways. In Michoacán, armed and masked men set fire to a bank as well as four vehicles between Vista Hermosa and Tanhuato.

In León, Guanajuato, two buses, a taxi and a private vehicle were set fire in four blockades. Four people were arrested in connection with those incidents.

At 6:30 last night the governor of Jalisco advised that all was calm in the state, but the Code Red designation would remain in effect for the weekend.

President Peña Nieto, who issued various messages throughout the day via his Twitter account in connection with the violence, vowed that the federal government’s operations in the state would continue until the CJNG was dismantled in the same way that other major criminal organizations have been.

“Citizens of Jalisco can continue to count on the full backing of the government of the republic to restore the tranquility of their daily lives,” he said in one tweet.

On the other hand, Jalisco’s Attorney General accused the federal government of not having done enough to help the state to combat a cartel that “has got very strong.” Luis Carlos Nájera Gutiérrez said the state has been fighting criminal groups on its own for many years.

“We stated long ago the risks we have with this criminal group, and it appears it has not been a priority. We will keep fighting, with or without help.”

In September, Nájera said “
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in Jalisco,” echoing the governor’s statement of the week before.


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7 dead, 19 wounded, 19 arrested in Jalisco
Cartel mounted its offensive in response to an operation against it

Sounds like the plot to a decent action movie and a nasty day in real life. Hope the authorities are successful in breaking up the rest of the cartel. There remains the question of whether the "Russian made rocket launcher" was a dumb rocket or a guided missile of some sort.
 

Miragedriver

Brigadier
Well It appears that the only new aircraft that Argentina will be flying is the Pampas when, since the existing Mirage arrived at the end of their useful life The Mirages should have been in a museum at least a decade ago. The only advantage of the Pampa is that it keeps pilots qualified until 2016, when they revisit the need for aircraft and hopefully justify the purchase of a multirole fighter.

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The letter I would want to write to the Minister of Defense

“Minister of Incompetence (Defense): A Pampa II is a noble but simple advanced subsonic trainer, which can be utilized to intercept illegal civilian flights, or serve as a scout and light attack aircraft in a war. The Designers and Engineers at FAdeA even had the foresight to be able to dispense guided munitions from the Pampa II, which is a remarkable capacity. However the only current aircraft that the FAA has to fulfill its roll is the trusted A4-AR, which is not a real fighter jet, it is an attack aircraft. As you may or may not know the IA-63 is not a strike aircraft and interceptor let alone a multirole fighter, and if by the worst stroke of bad luck we should find ourselves involved in a conflict Chile or heaven forbid, the English, they will swipe the floor with us. If by the incredible fortune your Ministry was to do its job and select and aircraft today, it would take 6 to 8 years to negotiate, set up the assembly line, produce, receive and maintain the required amount of operational aircraft for one squadron. In addition we will need to training and maintenance personnel and fill the logistics chains, plus the necessary infrastructure.

I will be easier for you Ministry and “LA Presidenta” to take to the television cameras and simply kill the enemy with laughter from the pathetic comments all of you make.

Please consider the acquisition of and production of the JF-17 that can work in combination with the A-4AR and eventually replace it. If not at least purchase or lease some J-10s that can defend the nation until a purchase scheme or replacement it found and a tender issued. Basically we have been defenseless since the beginning of 2015, when the Mirages were decommissioned, we will be helpless until a tender is issued or until the next government decides to put some pants on and do the right thing.

With great pain,


The Nation”

:(



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Miragedriver

Brigadier
An RPG shot down the helicopter of the Air Force of Mexico

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(Defensa.com) The EC-725 Air Force downed Mexico last May 1 in Jalisco was hit by a rocket propelled Granada or RPG (Rocket-Propelled Grenade). It is the first time in Mexico this type helicopter is shot down by this process, the impact and subsequent fire apparatus killing six soldiers. This was confirmed yesterday by the National Security Commissioner Mexico, Monte Alejandro Rubido, during a speech at the Mexican television channel Televisa, adding that "these weapons shows the significant heat capacity of the organization", as until now He believed the helicopter had received fire from automatic weapons before falling to earth and fire breaks.

The aircraft was attacked by cartel members Jalisco New Generation. RPG, of Soviet origin, is a family of development that has been widely exported to many countries in Europe, Asia and the Middle East. About forty armies use and also has become a popular weapon among irregular forces, guerrillas and terrorist organizations just because they add features, they can be purchased for less money and circulating widely on the black market weapons. Based on the RPG-2, which are still in use, tuned the RPG-7 in the early sixties of last century, copying the Chinese in what is known as Type 69. They and others as the Al-Nassira born in Iraq or own versions emerged in places as diverse as Pakistan or Egypt, have in common a rigid tube, which measures slightly less than 1 m. and incorporates at its bottom front shot module in the central upper sighting element. Before use a Granada is located on the front and this is fired towards the target, turning it to recharge in just half a minute to make a new shot.

What it offers is simple, robust and well proven ability. Pomegranates, that have the potential to beat fixed targets located 500 m. meters of own position and about 300 if they move, have evolved so that the warheads now include other larger diameter and some arrangement in tandem to achieve greater effects wherever impact. However, according to what is seen in the images of the conflicts of recent years, the most commonly used are the classic 73mm. in diameter, moving at 140 m / sec. and generate enough capacity to deal with light armored vehicles and briefly media lately grids appearing on the outside of the latter to try to curb its effects.

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Miragedriver

Brigadier
In Latin America there are plans to acquire up to 50 ships of the type Offshore Patrol Vessel (OPV)

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(Defensa.com) At present one of the segments of the naval construction boom is over the so-called Offshore Patrol Vessels (OPV), whose sales have grown significantly worldwide. 23 countries operate at least 132 of these vessels and 28 other countries have programs to acquire another 265 market representing no less than 60,000 million dollars. Orders for these vessels increased 7% from last year and Latin America is not an area to escape this global trend.

Last year 12% of the IPO that were currently operating in Latin America lie that proportion has grown this year to 14%, and there are ongoing programs to buy up to 50 of these ships in this market by 7 countries. These are some of the data that will be exhibited at the IPO & Surface Combatants Latin America 2015 to be held between 23 and June 25 in Guayaquil, Ecuador event. The OPV vessels are used for different types of missions depending on the requirements of its users but usually are employed in operations where the resources of larger ships as frigates are not required. These missions are often not the strictly military content such as the surveillance of exclusive economic zones (EEZ), the protection of fishery resources, coastal surveillance or terrorism, pollution control, missions search and rescue and the fight against illegal trafficking.

There are two main types of offshore patrol vessels, on the one hand those who despite having a shift content have advanced weapons systems or command and control, as may be the case of Maritime Action Ships of the Spanish Armada and another the most basic vessels, often derived from commercial designs, which have small arms and simple equipment. This second type is mostly between the market and are used for missions of low intensity.

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Miragedriver

Brigadier
Nicaragua confirms negotiations to acquire aircraft to patrol and defend its national sovereignty

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(Defensa.com) General Julio Cesar Aviles, chief of the Army of Nicaragua, told the National Assembly that at least four different types of naval resources and needed four to six aerial means because "there is a real need for them to defend national sovereignty, "referring to maritime territories acquired under the judgment of the International Court of Justice on 19 November 2012." These distances can not be filled with air assets we have, "he said.

In late April 2015, the press reported back Nicaragua's statements reiterating General Cesar Aviles "I said on the occasion of my visit to the National Assembly ... Nicaraguans have the right to have the means to protect the integrity of our territories and enforce our laws, and we said at the time that we are taking the necessary steps that are not right now this year or last year, but for many years efforts have been doing to equip us in the best way possible to meet mission of protecting our homeland. There are emerging threats, the fight against drug trafficking and organized crime, we have said, not right now but many years ago, we said in the Assembly, we searched and we evaluated the possibility of aircraft with higher capacities whether they Tucano, Super Tucanos, A -37, -130 Yak, and said that if we could MIG-21 are as welcome to our country, because we are going to give more capacity. "

As we noted in February, the analysis of what was said by the Inspector General of the Nicaraguan Army, General. Adolfo Zepeda, on efforts to obtain interceptors, aviation case of purely defensive and not attack aircraft, for use in the New Territories in counternarcotics tasks, he pointed to an intention to get hold of a lot of equipment MIG-29. Search older aircraft such as the MiG-21, just would not make logistical sense. Also, if what was sought was to respond and patrol the new maritime territories, the ideal was to use twin-engine aircraft, which allow air safety, response speed and basic combat capability. It appeared as well, an apparatus as MIG-29.

They followed this analysis notes of alarm, particularly in Honduras and Costa Rica, claiming that it was a regional military escalation. Also naturally it became alarmed Colombia, which followed details by Colonel Manuel Guevara Rocha, a spokesman of the Nicaraguan Army, ensuring defensa.com details were not correct and completely ruling out the purchase of these aircraft by their country . But aside from political posturing, the truth is that both Honduras and Costa Rica have solidified their defense infrastructure near the Nicaraguan border long before that announcement. Another issue is that the power to patrol and maintain presence and provided with an appropriate response to any eventuality in the new Nicaraguan territory presents a real challenge for the military, particularly hand instruments today.

See the conditions and realities: The maritime dispute between Nicaragua and Colombia territories result in a ruling by the International Court of Justice in 2012, favoring Nicaragua with a sea area of about 75,000 to 90,000 square kilometers, and leaving to Colombia with seven keys sovereignty over the archipelago of San Andres. Nicaragua then undertook Peace and Sovereignty "General Augusto C. Sandino" Mission from 25 November 2012. This campaign was intended to exercise sovereignty at sea and airspace court, using naval and air assets available, ie , Coast Guard dispatched two patrol boats, each towing two naval interceptors to patrol these areas. Ie that served as mother ships Coast Guard interceptors and patrols would be relieved by similar units in rotation.

In those days, the Naval District "Brigadier General Adolfo Cockburn" Caribbean Naval Force - Army of Nicaragua (FN-EN), working with a flotilla that included the GC-201 Dabur patrol "Rio Grande de Matagalpa" and GC-205 "Hidden River"; Rodman R-101 GC-401 "National Hero, General José Santos Zelaya Lopez" and GC-403 "national hero General Jose Dolores Estrada Ford" and the logistics yacht BA 405 "Tayacan" plus the last . of Zhuk / Grif, the GC-301 "Rio Segovia" models also available 18 interceptors would Eduardoño The Air Force - Army of Nicaragua (AF-ON) - contribute to patrol and reconnaissance flights with the only means available:. two AN-26 twin-engine, and which incidentally were, and are, the only fixed-wing aircraft transportation available in case of any eventuality and disaster.


The patrols proved too demanding for the old GC-301, which is already out of the water and service. There is simply no means to perform the assigned tasks and rotation of crews and ships leaving the coast unattended. Both Dabur as the R-101 are suitable means for relatively short patrols, a couple of weeks, and are not really suitable as motherships. Besides their number it is limited. Nicaraguan Naval Force is composed of a Chief and Staff "Colonel Abraham Rivera", located in Managua, and the Pacific Naval District "Brigadier General Juan Santos Morales", operating with 17 interceptors Eduardoño several models, two patrol boats Rodman R101 (GC-402 "Cacique They direct" and GC-404 "Cacique Agateyte"), and Dabur (GC-202) "Cacique Tenderí". There are about four Nor-Tech and a similar number of Boston Whalers, who remain in operations on both coasts. Eduardoño additional boats have been assigned to the First Battalion of Naval Forces "Commander Richard Lugo Kautz" and Inland Waters Naval Battalion "Commander Hilario Sánchez".


This lack of resources is pushing to Nicaragua to seek made of at least 6 coastguard patrol boats and two corvettes, patrol or ocean vessels, of which Russia offers a number of ideal model, if well armed as misileras, to beneficial conditions and even as donations. This is also the reason for seeking aerial means, from which you can not say the same thing of Russian industry, as it does not have anything equivalent to the AT-29 Super Tucano.


If the MIG-29 cause controversy and YAK-130 are not available to any pocket, there is something roughly equivalent to Cessna A-37B (although more powerful), in the cellar, although slightly less controversial than the MIG 29: the SU-25. It is an assault aircraft, ideal for interdiction, and more in line with the A-10 American, optimized for ground attack. Has a fuselage equipped with armor, and two engines, allowing plenty of transporting weapons, free-fall bombs, bombs and laser precision GPS, rocket, ship missiles and external fuel tanks.

Again, the only way to make new and appropriate naval and air materials is through the generosity of the supplier, which means that, if not Russia, the type of ship and donor could be anyone. The truth is that the ideal would be about four maritime patrol aircraft twin-engine turboprop, as might be the same An-26 or C-212 Spanish repowering and reconfigured, and at least four half patrol and two ocean. Parallel to exercise sovereignty dilemma, the Army of Nicaragua has launched an action plan against drug trafficking in that region, called "firewall". The lack of resources has forced to seek assistance of Russian military and police, and US units to carry them out, and all this under a cloud of political intrigue.

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Miragedriver

Brigadier
Money and snakes in Defense Argentina

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(Defensa.com) After a decade of Kirchner administration in Argentina, little good we can mention as achievements in defense and security. Crossing one of the biggest tax collection times of national history and great prices on exports, nowhere is the result of the successive steps in the ministries responsible. As ever published in a notorious text, "Stories of failure", based on the mismanagement of the Dra. Nilda Garre, we must now take stock and in the aftermath of this government, practical and actual results, the defense policy, that meager results obtained.

With obvious disdain all uniformed and with a clear vengeful spirit, ministers of the portfolio obtained a crushing track record, like getting the worst operational status of the Armed Forces in the last century, an absolute withdrawal of the same from our South Atlantic and a very clear impoverishment of combat capabilities, not only before an international power, but simply against a ragged band. An irritant discredit upon the military world and the honor of its members are short, yes, we know that this last word means little to most politicians, but liminal form part of the essence of the military. They created a militant oligarchy flooding government offices with little attachment to dialogue and less work, increasing wasteful spending and a dreadful bureaucracy, worse breach of contract here and there owing to each saint a candle ... Discipline, element substance of the armed forces and Security, has fallen to alarming levels, spurred by a false philosophy of neglect.

Few smallest well have been the successes. Perhaps the recovery of any shipyard, or some lost industrial capacity, but all surrounded by film presentations and ads, most of which fade over time. Time seems eternal to rebuild the vital icebreaker ARA "Irizar" or produce the advertised 40 Pampa jets, nor finally delivered, plus other projects announced by drummers and the millions in the budget, but we never know where they're going or even if meet-cash shipments. What is certain and conclusive is that the country has completely lost all deterrent capability, not talking about the South Seas, where the government continues to deny the possibility of conflict to an enemy that occupies a portion of national territory and in border areas but where neighboring countries we have lost the respect performing intrusion inclusive country without so much as even a request for information from the Foreign Ministry, much less any action of the Ministry of Defence, spoke of cases in the border with Bolivia and Paraguay.

We not touch the critical situation in the shadowy world of intelligence, where the professional political interference and mismanagement in this thorny subject has led us to the totally defenseless as foreign espionage networks, which have always existed but were controlled, Laborem with impunity, the patient work of professionals for decades ... never lost the security forces had manpower and material resources many, but never our borders were a sieve like today or insecurity is rampant in our streets with an unusual degree of violence and growing.

Recover lost abilities for so many years will require from the new authorities assume, if they do it with good intentions, a large dose of professionalism, prudence, wisdom and spirit of greatness. If their plans tidying things, you also need a fat wallet. What is not invested for years in modernization, must now spend directly on new purchases since most systems, read combat and transport aircraft, helicopters, ships of all types and almost all terrestrial material is not only completely outdated against its peers in the region and with a very low level of availability, but it presents a risk factor for operation.

No more aerial and naval incidents simply because little is flying and navigating less, the operation of many systems is already risky for our staff and that is unacceptable.

It should also improve foreign relations, and that our reputation is on the ground and find it difficult to get adequate funding, in reality almost no one gives us credit. As we see who gets to the central administration must start again almost everything. The damage to national defense has been terrible and the aftermath will live for years, for the worse failure causing many remain in the state, hiding in the folds of the administration as snakes, poison and distilling boycotting the new ones unwary, these monsters leave behind.


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