New equipment to reinvigorate Mexico’s industry

The Navy Secretariat (Semar) and Mexican Air Force will be equipped with new planes and helicopters, President Enrique Peña Nieto announced in Tecámac, State of Mexico, Wednesday.

During the inauguration of Aerospace Fair 2015, held at Military Air Base One in Santa Lucía, he said he will make an unprecedented effort to ensure that the armed forces have the latest equipment so they can fulfill their responsibility to serve and protect Mexican citizens.

He claims this effort is part of reinvigorating the country, placing it at the vanguard and overcoming resistance to give the armed forces the tools they deserve. The new equipment will be used to support work, surveillance, reconnaissance, search and rescue operations, intelligence and transport, among others.

Accompanied by members of the security and federal cabinet, Peña Nieto also stressed the importance of the Mexican aerospace industry.

This sector is strategic for the national economy, he said, and in 2014 it had exportations of $6.3 billion, an increase of 26.3 percent over 2012. Mexico is now the sixth-largest supplier of aircraft parts to the United States.

He said that the rapid growth was a result of work between industry, academia and government, noting that 205 domestic and foreign companies were participating in the fair and 19 education institutions.

This fair is one of several events commemorating the centennial of the Mexican Air Force, and celebrates the 15 percent annual growth registered by the industry, which currently employs 45,000 Mexicans.

Peña Nieto also emphasized that through the Strategic Aerospace Program, Mexico intends to expand its sector, with goals of being in the top 10 globally by 2020.

The goal is for exports from the sector to reach $12 billion annually by 2020. If achieved, this would generate 110,000 jobs, 1/3 of which would be in the field of advanced engineering.

The Mexican aerospace industry generated a surplus of $950 million in 2014 and has high growth, with work closely coordinated between industry, academia and the authorities.

Source: The News