The AIM-120 AMRAAM (Advanced Medium-Range Air-to-Air Missiles) is now listed among the international recipients in military relations between the United States and Pakistan, an important development in the sphere. This is apparently from a recently made public arms deal by the U.S. Department of War (DoW) known as the Department of Defense.
What are Major International Deal with Raytheon
Raytheon is a defense manufacturer based in Tucson, Arizona that is known for cutting-edge missile systems-was awarded the nearly $2.5 billion contract among the 35 allied countries in Europe, the Middle East and Asia that will receive production and delivery of C8 and D3 variants of AMRAAM missiles, major U.S. partners will be included.
Pakistan is indeed listed as a participant but how many missiles were allocated to Pakistan was not divulged in the document. The deal should be carried out by May 2030 highlighting the long-term nature of this military collaboration.
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Upgrade in Pakistan’s F-16 Program
The transfer of arms has raised some expectations about modernization plans for Pakistan’s F-16 fighter jet fleet which still happens to be the only platform in Pakistan’s inventory compatible with AMRAAM missiles.
The most known operational deployment of AMRAAM by Pakistan occurred in February 2019, during its aerial engagement with India. The analysts of defense claim that acquiring the missile would reflect strategically broader intentions toward air defense enhancement amid wider regional tension.
Diplomatic & High-Level Meetings
The announcement by former U.S. President Donald Trump when met with Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Chief of Army Staff General Asim Munir. Trump had been heard to claim involvement in de-escalating a previous India-Pakistan conflict and these latest interactions may have acted as a precursor for improvements in relations.
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The air chief of Pakistan, Zaheer Ahmed Babar met with officials of the U.S. State Department back in July, setting the stage for defense agreements of this nature.
What are Missile Capabilities & Dual-Use Platforms
The AIM-120 series C8 which is the export version incorporated in the deal will provide enhanced range and precision to airborne deployment on fighters including the F-15, F-16, F/A-18 and F-35, it can also be employed in surface based defense systems such as NASAMS enabling an integrating country to utilize AMRAAMs as part of its air defense and ground defense strategies and increase its options with regard to tactics in multi-domain warfare scenarios.
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