The United States on Friday dismissed reports suggesting Pakistan would receive new Advanced Medium-Range Air-to-Air Missiles (AMRAAMs), saying a recently amended contract only covers sustainment and spare parts.
In a statement, the US Embassy said the September 30 Department of War announcement “referred to an amendment to an existing Foreign Military Sales contract for sustainment and spares for several countries, including Pakistan.” It emphasized that “no part of this contract modification is for deliveries of new AMRAAMs,” and that the sustainment work “does not include an upgrade to any of Pakistan’s current capabilities.”
The clarification comes after media reports, including Pakistan’s Dawn, interpreted the Department of War’s announcement as a new missile sale. The modification, awarded to Raytheon Co., increases the AMRAAM production contract by USD 41 million, taking its total value to over USD 2.5 billion.
The contract covers multiple countries—including the UK, Germany, Israel, Australia, Qatar, Oman, Singapore, Japan, Canada, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Italy, Kuwait, Türkiye, and Pakistan—and is expected to conclude by May 2030. Pakistan’s inclusion relates solely to ongoing sustainment, not new missile deliveries.
Pakistan had previously purchased around 700 AMRAAMs for its F-16 fleet in 2007, then the largest international order for the missile system. Reports of a new supply deal emerged weeks after Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Army Chief General Asim Munir met US President Donald Trump in September.
–ANI
