From the early 1920s to the 1940s Mexico had an avaition industry and did indeed built military aircraft, however the Mexican government lacked the vision that in Brazil they had.

Absoloutly

In fact the Mexican navy was behind the few domestic aircraft built in mexico with military purposes by the now almost unknown mexican aircraft manufacturers.

To be exact navy was behind a project to assemble a US built and designed, recreational Lancair and a helicopter. Those were not projects made from scratch nor original ideas, we bought them and assembled in México. Nowadays the project is dead.

From the 1950s to the 1980s the mexican aircraft manufacture almost disappeared however the success of the brazilian company Embraer in the 1990s prompted a reaction in Mexico, this forced the Mexican navy to even to assembled kit aircraft and helicopters and approach Russia in order to build Antonov aircraft and Mil helicopters, both projects seem to have remain just as pure paper proposals; during this period Russia offered the Su-27s, the visits made by Putin to Mexico and the former mexican president Fox to Russia were in part prompted with the desire to re-stablish a Mexican aircraft industry and the stablishment of a mexican-russian alliance in military affairs.

True, deals really not agreeble to President Fox, and to the US. Project was buried even before Fox´s period was over, fox focused on russian energetics and heavy industry, but never was much interested in defense deals.
By contrast Bombardier did stablished a factory, and lot of subcontractotrs sprung in northern mexico for U.S Major defense companies.
Russians only could achive to stablish a second level workshop for helicopters along with the navy.

The real reason why Mexico has not bought the Su-27s is not so much the lack of budget but basicly a political one, the mexican government has seen the success of Brazil in aircraft manufacturing and has in mind the stablishment of a mexican aircraft industry,

False, there was ill management in the navy and corruption, the chief of the navy is involved ina legal situation because of that. Otherwise they would be here, and they are not.

I don´t know, but there are not public plans to establish not even a mid level indigenous industry, not one sponsored by the governament. As far as I know in the national plans, there is nothing focusing on that. I´d love to see some docs about that.

Yes navy is working on few low profile programs, some succesfull, some other not so much, but that doesn´t mean that plans for a huge industry are on course.

Mexico has basicly decided to build aircraft from a NAFTA partner rather than from Russia and this reflects a political alliance with Canada and the US

true

Air force has 10 F-5´s left from originally 12 bought back in 1982, at any time only 7 are operational due to maintenance, wich is excelent bye the way. Problem is that the army is choaking the Air force, converting it into an army private airline quiting all trases of creativity, inventivity and initiative, Mexican pilots are simply excelent, if only they were encouraged, suported and cared they would astonish half world. For example on this depression a regular F-5 pilot is gainig 2 or 4 flthrs a month!!! if he is lucky. And they do not fly in a constant patrol status, they just do trainig arround the central portion of Mexico and some sporadic deployments, an anual live fire exercise and very scattered calls for scramble for suspicious flights. But basicly they do nothing else but training cause they ( al 30 f-5 pilots) are not allow to do nothing else.

The other portion of jet aviation is set on 10 T33 still in active status wich isa miracle, they have just reached theyr 50 th anniversary, unbelivable isn´t it?

And this has a political reason, there is not any threat from any country on Mexico, the US is unbeatble, Belize is UK territory and guatemala is in far worst condition. So plan makers don´t invest much in tactical aviation.

That is why our combat aviation is basicly focus on turbo prop pilatus, helos, elint, and medium cargo.

The navy tried to set stakes pretty high when dealing for the Flankers, but it was a dream made of sugar, navy wanted them cause they had some surplus in the all ready compromised budget and since in Mexico is tabu to talk or to show any improvement in the army muscle they tryed to justify the purchase with the “theyr for patroll” argument, but obviously it was sucha lie. They wanted theyr own combat wing, saddly they were theyr worst enemy.

Mexican Air force, a mixed but reliable airforce.