US approves sale of Javelin missiles, Excalibur munition to India worth over $92 million

Washington has approved the sale of Javelin anti-tank missiles and Excalibur guided artillery munitions to India, the United States' Defense Security Cooperation Agency said on Wednesday.

The sale is worth $92.8 million, or about Rs 822 crore, in all.

The US Department of Defense said that the sale would improve “the security of a major defence partner which continues to be an important force for political stability, peace, and economic progress in the Indo-Pacific and South Asia regions”.

It also noted that India would have “no difficulty absorbing these articles and services into its armed forces”.

According to the department, the first package, valued at $45.7 million, or about Rs 405 crore, includes units of the Javelin system, one fly-to-buy missile and 25 Lightweight Command Launch Units, NDTV reported.

It also covers non-major defence equipment such as basic skills trainers, missile simulation rounds, battery coolant units, operator manuals, technical data, refurbishment services and other related elements of logistics and programme support.

The second package approves the possible sale of up to 216 Excalibur tactical projectiles and associated equipment for an estimated $47.1 million, or around Rs 417 crore.

India already uses Excalibur precision-guided artillery ammunition in its M777 howitzer guns, Reuters reported.

This marks New Delhi's first purchase of US defence equipment under Washington's foreign military sales programme since bilateral ties deteriorated in August after President Donald Trump doubled the tariffs on goods imported from India to 50% for purchasing Russian oil amid the war in Ukraine.

Trump has repeatedly alleged that India's imports were fuelling Russia's war on Ukraine.

After the “reciprocal” levies were announced, New Delhi had said it was “extremely unfortunate” that the US had chosen to impose additional tariffs on India “for actions that several other countries are also taking in their own national interest”.

On November 10, Trump said that Washington would bring down the tariffs imposed on India “at some point” and claimed that New Delhi had substantially reduced its purchase of Russian oil.

Trump also said that his country was getting close to a “fair deal” with India.

On October 31, the two countries had also signed a 10-year framework for “major defence partnership”.

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh had said that the agreement would “usher in a new era in our already strong defence partnership”.

The US had designated India as its “major defence partner” in 2016. In 2018, India was elevated to tier one of the Strategic Trade Authorisation, which allows New Delhi to receive license-free access to a range of US military and dual-use technologies.

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Source: Scroll
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