According to reports by the industry magazine Janes, during the Tulum Air Show 2026, which took place on April 23–26 this year at the 20th Air Base at Tulum International Airport on the Yucatán Peninsula, in Quintana Roo state, the commander of the Mexican Air Force (Fuerza Aérea Mexicana; FAM), Gen. Román Carmona Landa, announced the launch of a tender procedure for successors to the three operational Northrop F-5E/F Tiger II fighter aircraft.
Two single-seat F-5Es and one two-seat F-5F during the Tulum Air Show 2026
The Mexican Air Force received the first of twelve F-5E/F Tiger II aircraft on August 10, 1982. Over the past decade, the fleet’s operational readiness began to decline, and two aircraft were lost. By 2017, eight F-5Es and two F-5Fs remained operational, while since 2024 only two F-5Es and one F-5F have remained operational.
Now the command of the Mexican Air Force (Fuerza Aérea Mexicana; FAM) wants to rebuild its combat capabilities by acquiring up to 12 new combat aircraft from 2028, so that the 401st Fighter Squadron (Escuadrón Aéreo 401) from Santa Lucía Air Base near the country’s capital has its full equipment complement. Earlier plans assumed the acquisition of up to 24 aircraft, but the number was reduced for financial reasons. The main tasks of the air force include protecting national airspace, especially in the context of the drug war and countering airborne smuggling.
According to information from the commander of the Mexican Air Force (Fuerza Aérea Mexicana; FAM), potential suppliers include Lockheed Martin with the F-16C/D Block 70/72, Saab Defence and Security with the JAS 39E/F Gripen, Korea Aerospace Industries with the F/A-50 Fighting Eagle Block 20, and Leonardo with the M-346FA Master. An attempt to purchase, for example, used F-16C/D Block 40/50 aircraft from U.S. Air Force (USAF) surplus cannot be ruled out. According to him, the aircraft being sought should provide both air defense capabilities and the ability to conduct reconnaissance and attack ground targets.
Recently, at the end of 2025, U.S. company Lockheed Martin signed an agreement with Mexico’s Ministry of Defense for the delivery of a single C-130J-30 Super Hercules medium transport aircraft, making Mexico its first user in Latin America. It is worth adding that during the Tulum Air Show 2026, Gen. Román Carmona Landa announced the process of acquiring two additional Super Hercules aircraft, as well as 11 Sikorsky UH-60M Black Hawk multirole helicopters.