Days ago, the Ministry of National Defense (Defense) confirmed that it authorized the overflight in Mexican airspace and the emergency landing of U.S. military aircraft as part of a humanitarian rescue operation.
The first reports indicated that this authorization was granted in accordance with the regulations that currently exist and with the sole objective of safeguarding the life of a person who required urgent medical attention, without this implying an affectation to Mexican sovereignty.
This is the account of what happened on February 5, 2026, when the 563rd Rescue Group, located at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base located in Arizona, received a first report about a man who needed medical assistance on a tanker off the coast of Baja California, Mexico.
It would be a difficult mission; the patient, a 19-year-old Greek man, had medical problems that had left him paralyzed, making water rescue even more difficult. The distance in the open sea was almost 640 kilometers, which would require several in-flight refueling maneuvers. The paratroopers would have to descend into the moving vessel and provide medical attention. The team would have to coordinate a landing in Mexico to ensure higher-quality medical care.
But for the 355th Wing, which operated out of Davis-Monthan Air Force Base in Arizona, these were not obstacles, but challenges to overcome. Airmen from across the base came together to plan the mission, develop weather forecasts, prepare life support equipment, prepare radios, issue flight clearances, fuel the aircraft, and generate a rescue team.
Seven hours after the original distress call, the 563rd Rescue Group sent a team of eight crew members, six rescue paratroopers, and a flight crew chief aboard two HH-60W helicopters and an HC-130J aircraft to Mexico.
Source: Aerospace Mexico
