The US State Department has approved the sale of the Javelin anti tank missile system and Excalibur guided artillery munitions worth ninety three million dollars to India, the US Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA) announced on Wednesday.
The purchase marks India’s first acquisition of US defence equipment under Washington’s foreign military sales programme since relations cooled in August, after President Donald Trump doubled tariffs on Indian goods to 50 percent in response to New Delhi’s continued purchases of Russian oil.
The approval follows India’s re order this month of fighter jet engines made by General Electric to power additional units of the country’s home produced Tejas combat aircraft.
“This proposed sale will support the foreign policy and national security objectives of the United States by helping to strengthen the US Indian strategic relationship and to improve the security of a major defense partner which continues to be an important force for political stability, peace, and economic progress in the Indo Pacific and South Asia regions,” the DSCA said in a statement.
According to the agency, India had requested up to 216 Excalibur tactical projectiles and 100 of the Javelin system. India already uses Excalibur artillery ammunition in its M 777 Howitzer guns.
The principal contractors for the sales will be RTX Corp for the Excalibur projectiles and its joint venture with Lockheed Martin for the Javelin systems, the DSCA said.
Faridah Abdulkadiri
About the Author
