That Time Mexico Tried to Build Their Own Tank….. And They Did It Before the United States
Seriously.
Not many people are aware of this, but right around the time the tank as we know it began to appear, the Mexican Government attempted to develop their own indigenous model. Now this came at a very turbulent time in Mexico’s history, as the Mexican Revolution was in its dying days and the newly installed “Constitutionalist” government wanted the country to be more self-sufficient when it came to supplying the military.
Mexico’s Bold Move Towards Self-Sufficiency
Historically, the country would have to import most of its military equipment from either the U.S. or Europe—something the new government wanted to break out from. One of the results of this initiative was the TNCA Salinas.
The “Salinas” was built by the Talleres Nacionales de Construcción Aeronáutica (TNCA). This is interesting since the company was originally set up by the government to build and supply aircraft for the Mexican Air Force. Not to mention, the tank’s designer and namesake, Major Alberto Salinas Carranza, was an aviator in the Mexican military. Essentially, it was a tank designed by a pilot and built by an aircraft manufacturer.
The Design and Armament of the TNCA Salinas
At first glance, it almost looks like one of the British Mark I tanks with a shed built on top of it. This design choice was made to allow the driver to see where they were going, as the front of the Salinas housed its main gun. The main armament was said to be a 37 mm Hotchkiss revolver cannon consisting of five barrels—a weapon usually found on naval vessels as secondary armament. Some sources claim it actually had an unspecified 75 mm gun. Note that this was not attached to the tank but rather mounted inside it.
The Uncertainty and Legacy of the TNCA Salinas
Truth be told, there really isn’t much information regarding the Salinas. This was in 1917, and things were still pretty turbulent in Mexico at that time. We don’t know what kind of engine it used, how it performed during trials, or if it was ever actually used by the military or if any more were produced. There is nothing. But what we do know is that at the end of the program, the sole prototype ended up being used as a guardhouse near an airbase in Mexico City. TNCA would eventually be bought out by Canadian Car and Foundry, and Mexico would ultimately revert to relying on outside companies to supply the military.
But still, all things considered, Mexico did manage to develop their own tank before the U.S. did, which is something to still be proud of.
~NC
