I can see the Mexicans maybe making the AMX-13 but not the AMX-30 - you dont just jump into making tanks when previously the best you have ever been able to make is armored cars
plus while the AMX-30 is not suited to Mexico's road and rail systems, which in the 90's were in pretty bad shape, the AMX-13 or a armored car is. If they used the 90mm turret version it fits with their ARV's they already have on hand. In addition that vehicle has a ton of parts that are in the AMX-VCI of which they have over 400 of them - meaning that spare parts and logistics for the AMX-13 would be a snap
However keep in mind that a tank plant takes years to get up to speed, especially if they dont have experience building them, which they dont. They would have had to start production, tooling, etc.. years earlier - and by that I mean 1992-93 - they would be lucky if by mid-98 they had made a dozen tanks with start point of when the Soviets invaded China - its just not that easy to start building tanks from scratch and get any significant numbers made
I know - I worked for BAE for years - you don't just start building heavy tanks with no experience, no trained techs, no trained armor welders (which takes quite a while to train), let alone produce heavy armor plate you need for tanks when everyone in the world is trying to corner the market on it
Plus Mexico suddenly going on a crash program to build a ton of MBT's and deploying them on the US border would have been seen big time as a threat to the US - and their whole invasion, as scripted by GDW- works as it does because no one considers them a serious threat.
Otherwise the 49th, 197th and other units would have been on the border and kicked their butts as they came over - instead of lightly armed riot control troops
Mexico does however have experience building APC's and armored cars - and thats where the better candidate comes that supports canon and would be much faster for them to get up to speed to where they would have built a good amount by the invasion -
you said the Lynx - how about instead they get a license to build the ERC-90 Sagaies and upgrade the 120 ERC-90 Lynx's that they had to that configuration - now you have a gun that can take on MBT's and defeat them - and since they are already operating 120 of them again they have the spare parts, logistics and most important of all experience with the vehicles
the Sagaie was built to take on T-72's - meaning they would be effective against the M48's and M60's that guard units would most likely have
and as canon said the AFV's they had were almost universally the ERC-90 - so the newer version being built there ties in perfectly
And the ERC-90 being built by Mexico wouldnt be seen as the threat that MBT's are - tank generals count tanks, not armored cars or APC's -
If Mexico got MBT's like the AMX-30 then they would have never needed Soviet Division Cuba - they brought them over to get the MBT's they didnt have - otherwise why use scarce fuel, transport and logistics to bring them over when you already have MBT's in hand
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