SAA event in Mexico on Mon 16th March 2026

Military Helicopter Hit by Gunfire During Operation in Jalisco; Aircraft Was the Same Type as the One Shot Down in 2015. The attack occurred during the deployment searching for Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes, according to the Ministry of Defense. A Mexican Air Force helicopter was hit by gunfire during the military operation carried out on February 22 in Tapalpa, Jalisco. According to the Secretary of Defense, Ricardo Trevilla Trejo, the shots came from the security detail protecting the criminal leader Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes during the pursuit. According to information presented by authorities, the aircraft—an EC-725 Super Cougar—sustained impacts on the front of the fuselage and the lower section, as well as damage to the area near the tail rotor, one of the helicopter's most vulnerable areas. The crew managed to maintain control of the aircraft and made an emergency landing at a military installation near Sayula. Eleven members of the armed forces were aboard the helicopter, and no injuries were reported. The EC-725 model is the same type of aircraft that was shot down during a confrontation in Jalisco in 2015. In this case, authorities indicated that investigations are ongoing to determine the exact type of weaponry used.