America on Friday rejected stories suggesting that Pakistan can be equipped with new Superior Medium-Vary Air-to-Air Missiles (AMRAAMs) beneath a current contract replace, stating that the modification covers solely upkeep and spare elements, with no new weapons included.
The US Embassy, in an announcement, clarified that the Division of Warfare’s September 30 announcement was merely “an modification to an current Overseas Navy Gross sales contract for sustainment and spares for a number of international locations, together with Pakistan.”
No Improve To Pakistan’s F-16 Capabilities
The embassy careworn that “opposite to false media stories, no a part of this referenced contract modification is for deliveries of latest AMRAAMs to Pakistan.” They added that the sustainment work “doesn’t embrace an improve to any of Pakistan’s present capabilities.” This implies Pakistan’s getting older F-16 fleet stays precisely the place it’s, caught with 2007-era expertise.
The clarification follows media stories, together with from Pakistan’s personal Daybreak newspaper, that misinterpreted the US Division of Warfare’s September 30 contract replace as a model new missile sale to Pakistan. The official launch had introduced that Raytheon Co., primarily based in Tucson, Arizona, obtained a USD 41 million modification to an current AMRAAM manufacturing contract, taking the whole worth to over USD 2.5 billion.
Pakistan’s Inclusion Solely For Upkeep Help
In response to the unique Division of Warfare assertion, the contract includes international army gross sales to a number of international locations, together with the UK, Germany, Israel, Australia, Qatar, Oman, Singapore, Japan, Canada, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Italy, Kuwait, Turkiye, and Pakistan, and is anticipated to be accomplished by Could 2030.
Whereas the announcement listed Pakistan among the many collaborating international locations, the US Embassy has now definitively confirmed that the inclusion relates strictly to ongoing sustainment assist – to not new missile deliveries that might have enhanced Pakistan’s fight capabilities.
Pakistan’s Growing older AMRAAM Inventory
Pakistan had beforehand bought round 700 AMRAAMs again in 2007 for its F-16 fleet – almost twenty years in the past – which was at the moment the most important worldwide order for the air-to-air missile system. Those self same getting older missiles are all Pakistan has, and all Pakistan will proceed to have.
(With ANI Inputs)