The US has okayed two separate technical support programmes for artillery guns and attack helicopters used by the Indian armed forces. These will collectively cost $428 million (approximately Rs 4,000 crore).
The US has notified $230 million “sustainment support" for the Army’s M777 ultra-light howitzers, which were used for precision strikes against Pakistan during Operation Sindoor in May last year.
The Government of India has requested to buy a “long-term sustainment support" for ancillary items, spares, repair and return, training, technical assistance, field service representative, depot capability and other related elements of logistics and programme support, a notification by the US has said.
The “sustainment programme" is happening just months after India replenished its stock of specialised artillery ammunition called ‘Excalibur’, which were fired from M777 during Operation Sindoor to target terrorist camps in Pakistan. ‘Excalibur’ has precision firing ability to home onto a target. A few of the terror camps in Pakistan were hit by Excalibur on May 7 last year.
After Operation Sindoor, India procured 216 of the ‘Excalibur projectiles’ from the US under a $47.1 million deal. Artillery ammunition ‘Excalibur’ is fired from the M777, which is a specialised artillery gun. India sourced 145 such guns from the US almost a decade ago.
Separately, the Government of India had also requested to buy the AH–64E Apache sustainment support services, US Government and contractor engineering, technical and logistics support services, technical data and publications, personnel training and other related elements of logistics and programme support.
The estimated cost of this programme is $198.2 million. The Indian Air Force and the Army both fly the Apache, an attack helicopter. The units of these helicopters are deployed along the frontlines in the west and the north.
Meanwhile, the US has described the utility of both the sales – sustaining the artillery guns and helicopters. It said these aid national security objectives of the US by helping to strengthen the US-Indian strategic relationship and to improve the security of a major defence partner which continues to be an important force for political stability, peace and economic progress in the Indo-Pacific and South Asia regions.
The proposed sale will improve India’s capability to meet current and future threats, strengthen its homeland defence, and deter regional threats, it added .
