ISLAMABAD: The United States State Department has authorised a significant$93 million defence transaction with India, encompassing the Javelinanti-tank missile system and Excalibur guided artillery munitions, asannounced by the US Defence Security Cooperation Agency on Wednesday. Thisapproval permits the acquisition of up to 100 Javelin units and 216Excalibur tactical projectiles, enhancing India’s precision-strikecapabilities. The Javelin, a portable fire-and-forget anti-tank weapon, andthe GPS-guided Excalibur rounds, compatible with India’s M-777 Howitzerartillery, represent a strategic infusion of advanced weaponry into NewDelhi’s arsenal.
This sale marks India’s inaugural procurement under Washington’s ForeignMilitary Sales programme since bilateral frictions intensified in August,when President Donald Trump imposed 50 per cent tariffs on Indian goods inretaliation for New Delhi’s expanded purchases of Russian oil. Theescalation had strained economic ties, prompting concerns over thetrajectory of the US-India strategic partnership. However, the dealcoincides with India’s recent re-order of General Electric fighter jetengines to bolster its indigenous Tejas combat aircraft, underscoring atentative normalisation in defence-industrial collaboration.
In its official statement, the DSCA underscored the transaction’s alignmentwith US foreign policy imperatives, asserting that it fortifies theUS-Indian strategic bond while bolstering a pivotal defence partner’ssecurity in the Indo-Pacific and South Asia. The agency emphasised India’srole as a stabilising influence for regional peace and economicadvancement, with principal contractors RTX Corporation and Lockheed Martinpoised to deliver the systems under rigorous export oversight. Notably, theDSCA affirmed that the sale poses no adverse effects on US defencereadiness and will not disrupt the regional military equilibrium.
From Pakistan’s vantage, this development carries profound implications forSouth Asian security dynamics. The augmentation of India’s anti-tank andartillery precision—directly countering armoured threats—heightensIslamabad’s apprehensions along the Line of Control, particularly followingrecent border skirmishes.
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Analysts posit that such asymmetric enhancements could embolden Indianpostures in potential escalations, compelling Pakistan to accelerate itsown modernisation efforts, potentially through deepened ties with China.This risks perpetuating an arms race, undermining confidence-buildingmeasures, and straining Pakistan’s fiscal resources amid economicpressures. Moreover, it exemplifies the US’s pivot towards India as acounterweight to Beijing, sidelining Islamabad’s overtures for balancedengagement and exacerbating perceptions of a containment strategy.Diplomatic channels may now intensify calls for multilateral restraint toavert destabilisation.
Source:www.dawn.com/news/1956242/us-clears-93m-sale-of-javelin-anti-tank-system-excalibur-projectiles-to-india”>https://www.reuters.com/business/aerospace-defense/us-clears-93-million-sale-javelin-anti-tank-system-excalibur-projectiles-india-2025-11-20/”>https://www.dawn.com/news/1956242/us-clears-93m-sale-of-javelin-anti-tank-system-excalibur-projectiles-to-indiaSource:www.reuters.com/business/aerospace-defense/us-clears-93-million-sale-javelin-anti-tank-system-excalibur-projectiles-india-2025-11-20/”>https://www.reuters.com/business/aerospace-defense/us-clears-93-million-sale-javelin-anti-tank-system-excalibur-projectiles-india-2025-11-20/