US Clears $93 Million In Military Sales To India

WASHINGTON, DC – The Trump administration on November 19 cleared roughly $93 million in military sales to India, underscoring the growing defense ties between the two countries.

The State Department approved the sale of Javelin anti-tank missile systems and related equipment valued at an estimated $45.7 million, and Excalibur Projectiles for an estimated cost of $47.1 million.

According to a statement by the Defense Security Cooperation Agency, an agency within the Department of War, India requested 100 FGM-148 Javelin missiles, one fly-to-buy missile, 25 command launch units, and 216 Excalibur tactical projectiles.

The statement added that the proposed sale would “strengthen the India-US strategic relationship” and improve the security of a “major defense partner”.

“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 proposed sale will improve India’s capability to meet current and future threats, strengthen its homeland defense and deter regional threats,” it noted.

The sale comes weeks after Washington and New Delhi announced a 10-year defense cooperation framework aimed at expanding collaboration in military technology, co-production, and information sharing.

On October 31, Defense Minister Rajnath Singh met US Secretary of War Pete Hegseth in Kuala Lumpur, where the two leaders signed a 10-year ‘Framework for the US-India Major Defense Partnership’, heralding a new era in deepening the defense ties between the two nations. (IANS)

(Courtesy: https://indiawest.com/)