Black Hawks Head South: US Clears $1.1 Billion Sale to Mexico as Argentina Signs for Four

Latin America's two largest Spanish-speaking militaries are both buying Black Hawks. The US State Department has approved a possible sale of 11 UH-60M Black Hawk helicopters to Mexico worth an estimated $1.075 billion, and Argentina has signed a deal for four UH-60Ls for its army.

Mexico: a bigger, more uniform fleet

The Mexican package includes 27 T700-GE-701D engines, navigation units, radios, machine guns, night-vision goggles, electro-optical sensors, armour, rescue hoists and extra fuel tanks. The stated goals are to modernise Mexico's helicopter fleet, cut the number of types it operates and improve airlift for counter-drug operations.

The approval is a congressional notification, not a signed contract, so numbers and price can still change. Mexico already flies UH-60Ms and has been steadily rebuilding its air mobility, receiving C-130J transports and joining the US Army's drone marketplace this year.

A US Army UH-60M Black Hawk. File photo: U.S. Army (public domain).

Argentina: a bargain start

Argentina's Ministry of Defence signed a Letter of Offer and Acceptance for four UH-60L Black Hawks through the US Foreign Military Sales system. Washington had approved a potential sale worth up to $140 million, but the ministry says negotiations brought the cost of the first four helicopters, with spares and supplies, down to about $28 million, which suggests refurbished aircraft.

The helicopters will form the first core of a new tactical mobility capability for the Argentine Army, with country-specific avionics and radios. The ministry expects the first one before the end of 2026.

Why it matters

Both deals pull the region closer to US equipment at a time when China and Russia have courted Latin American militaries. For Argentina in particular, which has also bought F-16s from Denmark, the Black Hawks are another step away from ageing European and Soviet-era fleets toward NATO-standard kit.