The United States approved a Rs 823 crore (USD 93 million) weapons sale to India, clearing the path for New Delhi to acquire new stocks of Javelin anti-tank missiles and Excalibur precision-guided artillery rounds. The Defence Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA) formally notified Congress of the proposed transfer, which now awaits the standard congressional review period.
What Does The Package Include?
The weapons package includes 100 FGM-148 Javelin missiles, 25 lightweight Command Launch Units (CLUs) and 216 Excalibur GPS-guided artillery rounds. Alongside the munitions, India has requested a range of sustainment and support services: lifecycle maintenance, security inspections, operator training, refurbishing for launch units and other elements needed to ensure full operational capability. According to the DSCA, India is expected to seamlessly integrate these systems into its armed forces.
US officials said the proposed sale would strengthen the US-India strategic partnership and expand India’s ability to respond to both current and emerging threats. The DSCA emphasised that the transfer would improve India’s homeland defence, reinforce deterrence against regional adversaries, and support long-term modernisation goals. Washington also noted that the sale would not alter the military balance in the region and that no offset arrangements are currently attached, though such agreements could later be negotiated directly between India and the manufacturers.
The Javelin system, jointly produced by RTX and Lockheed Martin, gives infantry forces a highly mobile, fire-and-forget anti-armour capability. India has previously shown interest in expanding its Javelin inventory, citing the system’s combat reliability. Meanwhile, the Excalibur artillery rounds, valued at approximately USD 47 million of the overall package, will provide India’s artillery units with precision strike abilities designed to minimise collateral damage during operations.
Features Of Javelin Missile System
The Javelin missile has earned a formidable reputation on modern battlefields, particularly in Ukraine, where it has been used to destroy large numbers of Russian T-72 and T-90 tanks, as reported by India Today. Often described as one of the world’s most advanced shoulder-launched anti-tank weapons, the Javelin is a third-generation, top-attack system engineered to hit armoured vehicles from above, their most vulnerable point.
Its soft-launch mechanism enables troops to fire from enclosed or concealed positions, giving infantry flexibility and protection in urban or fortified environments. Each Javelin round is housed in a disposable launch tube connected to a reusable command launch unit, allowing soldiers to deploy the weapon rapidly under combat conditions.
