US clears $93 million sale of Javelin anti-tank system, Excalibur projectiles to India

The U.S. State Department has approved the sale of Javelin anti-tank missile system and Excalibur guided artillery munitions worth $93 million to India, the U.S. Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA) said on Wednesday.

The purchase of U.S. defence equipment is India’s first under Washington’s foreign military sales programme since ties soured in August after President Donald Trump doubled tariffs on Indian goods to 50% as punishment for New Delhi’s purchases of Russian oil.

It follows a re-order this month of fighter jet engines made by General Electric to power more of India’s home-produced Tejas combat aircraft.

“This proposed sale will support the foreign policy and national security objectives of the United States by helping to strengthen the U.S.-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 DSCA said in a statement.

The Indian government had requested to buy up to 216 Excalibur tactical projectiles and 100 units of the Javelin system, the DSCA said. India already uses the Excalibur artillery ammunition in its M-777 Howitzer guns.

The principal contractors for the sales will be RTX Corp for the Excalibur projectiles and its joint venture with Lockheed Martin for the Javelin systems, the DSCA said.

India strikes US gas deal under Trump pressure

Earlier in November, India said it had signed a “significant” deal that will see the United States supply nearly 10 percent of the Asian giant’s liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) imports, as it seeks to diversify its energy sources.

Relations between Washington and New Delhi plummeted in August after President Donald Trump raised tariffs on India to 50 percent, with US officials accusing the country of fuelling Russia’s war in Ukraine by buying its discounted oil.

Trump has claimed that Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has agreed to cut its Russian oil imports as part of a prospective trade deal — something New Delhi has not confirmed.