India signs deal with US to buy Javelin anti-tank missile systems

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FILE PHOTO: Javeline anti-tank missiles are displayed on the assembly line at a Lockheed Martin weapons factory in Troy, Alabama, U.S. May 3, 2022. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst/File Photo

NEW DELHI, Aug 28 (Reuters) – The Indian Army has signed an agreement with the United States to purchase Javelin anti-tank missile systems, the U.S. Embassy in India said on Friday, without disclosing the value of the deal.

• The medium-range guided missile system, jointly produced by Lockheed Martin and RTX, is designed for use against a range of targets, including armored vehicles, the embassy said.

• The missile system is already in service with the U.S. Army and Marine Corps, as well as several international customers, the embassy added.

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• The agreement creates new opportunities for the defense industries of both countries to work together, U.S. Ambassador Sergio Gor said.

FILE PHOTO: A Filipino soldier fires a Javelin anti-tank weapon system during a live exercise as part of the annual US-Philippines joint military exercises called “Balikatan” at Fort Magsaysay, Nueva Ecija province, Philippines, April 13, 2023. REUTERS/Eloisa Lopez/File Photo

• “We see tremendous potential for future cooperation that strengthens the defense industrial bases of both countries,” he said.

• New Delhi was not immediately available for comment on the agreement.

• India is the world’s fifth-largest military spender and the second-largest arms importer after Ukraine, according to data from the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute.

• India and the U.S. signed a 10-year defense framework agreement in October.

• Although ties between the countries have deteriorated in recent months, with Washington imposing high tariffs on ​Indian goods, punishing New Delhi for purchasing Russian oil, and engaging closely with India’s arch-rival Pakistan, the defense relationship has remained unaffected.