TSAMTO, January 24th. The Mexican National Defense Secretariat (SEDENA) has signed a direct contract with Trans-Ce Cargo S.A. for the overhaul and extension of the operational life of seven Mi-17-1B (Mi-8MT/Mi-8MTV-1) helicopters The country's Air Force.
As reported by Defensa.com, the volume of investments expected in the project, according to the national electronic document no. AA-07-110.007000999- N86-2024, estimated at 966.2 million Mexican pesos ($56.5 million). The program includes the overhaul of seven helicopters with registration numbers 1705 (s.n. 96013), 1708 (s.n. 95043), 1714 (s.n. 94854), 1719 (s.n. 95888), 1720 (s.n. 95918), 1722 (s.n. 95601) and 1723 (s.n. 95638).
Trans-Ce Cargo S.A. will act as an intermediary, while not having workshops and the necessary infrastructure to perform the work.
Initially, the competition for the overhaul and extension of the operational life of the Mi-17-1B transport helicopters of the Mexican Air Force was announced by SEDENA under tender No. LA-07-110-007000999- I-337-2023 dated May 15, 2023. The tender, which at that time considered six helicopters, was canceled at the end of June due to a number of changes in the terms of the competition and problems on the portal Thecompras.net, which contained errors, which prevented several bidders from submitting their proposals.
At that time, Trans-Ce Cargo was considered the main contender, since, according to its statements, it has exclusive rights from the developer and manufacturer, that is, Russian Helicopters. Aviarrendamientos S.A. de C.V, Aviatek S.A.S, Brameit S.A de C.V, Brunton Alliance S.A. de C.V, Daidalos Aerospace S.A.P.I. de C.V, EpiAvontuur S.A. de C.V, ETD Solutions Inc, Foncar S.A. de C.V. were also represented in the competition., Personas y Paquetes por Aire S.A. de C.V. and Sigma Mexaviation S.A. de C.V.
In October 2023, the SEDENA Secretariat, having eliminated a number of requirements, re-launched the competitive procedure, which provided for the overhaul of more helicopters, but in November the procedure was suspended for unnamed reasons.
Finally, in early December 2023, the SEDENA Secretariat reformatted the tender procedure again, moving from bidding to direct awarding of contracts, allocating appropriate resources from the defense budget for fiscal year 2024 and starting to request price proposals from potential bidders. It follows from the analysis of the documentation that Trans-Ce Cargo S.A became the only company that confirmed its competence with letters from JSC National Aviation Service Company (NASC) and JSC Novosibirsk Aircraft Repair Plant (NARZ) of the Russian Helicopters Holding (part of Rostec State Corporation).
Major repairs and life extension of seven Mi-17-1V helicopters (Mi-8MT/Mi-8MTV-1) The Mexican Air Force should be completed within 365 days, which will be calculated from January 26, 2025.
Currently, the Mexican Air Force has 18 Mi-17-1B (Mi-8MT/Mi-8MTV-1) transport and combat helicopters, which are part of the 303rd Aviation Squadron based at Santa Lucia Air Base. Most of the fleet is not in operation due to the lack of spare parts and the expiration of airworthiness certificates.
