WASHINGTON: The United States has approved a $93 million sale of Javelin anti-tank missile systems and Excalibur guided artillery projectiles to India, the US Defence Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA) said on Wednesday.
The approval marks India’s first purchase under Washington’s foreign military sales (FMS) programme since relations deteriorated in August.
The US and India ties soured after President Donald Trump doubled tariffs on Indian goods to 50 percent in response to New Delhi’s purchases of Russian oil.
In its statement, the DSCA said the proposed sale would support US foreign policy and national security objectives. Washington described India as a “major defence partner”.
The package includes up to 216 Excalibur tactical projectiles and 100 units of the Javelin system. India already deploys Excalibur rounds with its M-777 Howitzer guns.
The approval comes shortly after India placed a repeat order for General Electric fighter jet engines.
RTX Corp will serve as the principal contractor for the Excalibur projectiles. The Javelin systems will be supplied by Javelin Joint Venture, a collaboration between RTX and Lockheed Martin, according to the DSCA.
The agency said the proposed sale would enhance India’s defensive capabilities and deepen operational cooperation between the two countries.
The sale comes as India continues to rebuild its military capacity after the heavy losses it suffered in the four-day conflict with Pakistan in May 2025.
A recent report submitted to the US Congress by the US–China Economic and Security Review Commission described the confrontation as a decisive “military success” for Pakistan, marking one of the clearest acknowledgements from a Washington body of Islamabad’s battlefield success.
The USCC report described the 7–10 May conflict as “Pakistan’s military success” and states that Islamabad maintained an advantage throughout the clash. This is the first time any US institution has described the conflict in such terms.
The commission, in its report, stated Pakistan’s success “showcased Chinese weaponry” and drew global attention to Beijing’s expanding military partnership with Islamabad.
The conflict was the most serious escalation between the nuclear-armed neighbours in more than 25 years.
According to the USCC report, Pakistan downed Indian aircraft, including French-made Rafale jets. Islamabad initially claimed that it shot down five Indian planes and later raised the tally to seven, including Rafales.
The commission also cited US President Donald Trump, who recently said that “eight planes were essentially shot down”. The report noted conflicting claims about the final number but confirmed that at least some Indian jets were destroyed.
The confrontation began after an attack on tourists in Indian Illegally Occupied Kashmir. New Delhi linked the incident to Pakistan without presenting any evidence. Islamabad condemned the attack and strongly rejected the Indian allegations as baseless.
Pakistan also repeatedly offered an independent and neutral international investigation into the incident. However, India refused to accept Pakistan’s offer for an independent investigation and continued with its aggressive posture, jeopardising regional peace.
India then launched air strikes on various Pakistani cities in Punjab and Azad Kashmir on 7 May. Pakistan swiftly responded to the unprovoked Indian aggression. The two sides exchanged tit-for-tat strikes on each other’s airbases until the United States intervened on 10 May to secure a ceasefire.
