Donald Trump administration approves sale of Integrated Air Defense Weapon System to India

Donald Trump administration approved the sale of an Integrated Air Defense Weapon System to India for an estimated cost of $1.867 billion, international media reported. The sale is expected to help the foreign policy and the national security of the US by strengthening US-India ties. This sale comes as the defence relations between the two countries are growing with India procuring multiple weapons from the US in recent years.

On Monday, DSCA made a public statement on its website which read: 

The State Department has made a determination approving a possible Foreign Military Sale to India of an Integrated Air Defence Weapon System for an estimated cost of $1.867 billion. The Defence Security Cooperation Agency delivered the required certification notifying Congress of this possible sale on February 7, 2020. 

India to use them to expand its air defence

According to reports, India intends to use these defence articles and services to modernise its armed forces and to expand its existing air defence architecture. This will contribute to India’s military goal to update its capability while further enhancing greater interoperability between India and the US. The DSCA added they propose the sale of the military equipment and supports will not alter the basic military balance in the region, international media reported. 

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SCA revealed that the government of India has requested to buy an Integrated Air Defence Weapon System (IADWS) comprised of five AN/ MPQ-64Fl Sentinel radar systems, one hundred eighteen AMRAAM AIM-120C-7/C-8 missiles, three AMRAAM Guidance Sections, four AMRAAM Control Sections, and one hundred thirty-four Stinger FIM-92L missiles.

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Also included in the list were thirty-two M4A1 rifles; (40,32) M855 5.56mm cartridges, Fire Distribution Centers (FDC), Handheld Remote Terminals, Electrical Optical/Infrared (EO/IR) Sensor Systems, AMRAAM Non-Developmental Item-Airborne Instrumentation Units (NDI­AIU),  Multi-spectral Targeting System-Model A (MTS-A),  and Canister Launchers (CN), High Mobility Launchers (HML).

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(With inputs from agencies)