The US said on Friday clarified that a recent amendment to an existing government-to-government military contract will not lead to the delivery of new advanced medium-range air-to-air missiles (AMRAAMs) to Pakistan, and dismissed Pakistani media reports about such a possibility as “false”.
Several Pakistani media outlets had reported this week that modifications to contracts announced by the US defence department would lead to US defence major Raytheon supplying Pakistan with advanced AMRAAMs, since the country had been added to the list of buyers.
The US-made missiles are used by F-16 combat jets operated by the Pakistan Air Force and were reportedly used during the hostilities with India in May.
The US embassy said in a statement that changes to existing Foreign Military Sales (FMS) or a government-to-government defence contract for several countries, including Pakistan, announced on September 30 will not lead to the supply of AMRAAMs, as the deal relates to sustainment and spares.
“The Administration would like to emphasise that contrary to false media reports, no part of this referenced contract modification is for deliveries of new Advanced Medium-Range Air-to-Air Missiles (AMRAAMs) to Pakistan,” the statement said.
{{/usCountry}}“The Administration would like to emphasise that contrary to false media reports, no part of this referenced contract modification is for deliveries of new Advanced Medium-Range Air-to-Air Missiles (AMRAAMs) to Pakistan,” the statement said.
{{/usCountry}}“The sustainment does not include an upgrade to any of Pakistan’s current capabilities,” it said.
The Pakistani media reports had suggested an unspecified number of C8 and D3 AMRAAM variants would be supplied to the country. Pakistan earlier purchased 700 AMRAAMs in January 2007, in what was the biggest global order for the weapon at the time.
Pakistan-US ties have witnessed an uptick in recent months, with President Donald Trump meeting Pakistan Army chief Field Marshal Asim Munir twice after the four days of hostilities between India and Pakistan that were triggered by New Delhi’s military strikes on terrorist infrastructure on Pakistani soil in retaliation for the Pahalgam terror attack. India has brushed aside Trump’s repeated claims that he brokered a ceasefire that ended the hostilities on May 10, and said the understanding on stopping military actions was finalised by senior army officials of the two countries.