The United States on Friday dismissed reports suggesting that Pakistan would receive new Advanced Medium-Range Air-to-Air Missiles (AMRAAMs) under a recently amended contract, clarifying that the modification concerns only sustainment and spare parts support and does not involve any delivery of new weapons.
In a statement, the US Embassy said the Department of Defence (DoD), in its September 30 announcement, referred to “an amendment to an existing Foreign Military Sales contract for sustainment and spares for several countries, including Pakistan.”
The embassy stressed that “contrary to false media reports, no part of this referenced contract modification is for deliveries of new AMRAAMs to Pakistan,” adding that the sustainment work “does not include an upgrade to any of Pakistan’s current capabilities.”
The clarification follows media reports, including from Pakistan’s Dawn newspaper, that interpreted the US DoD’s September 30 contract update as a new missile sale to Pakistan.
The official release stated that Raytheon Co., based in Tucson, Arizona, received a USD 41 million modification to an existing AMRAAM production contract, taking the total value to over USD 2.5 billion.
According to the original Department of Defence statement, the contract covers foreign military sales to several countries, including the United Kingdom, Germany, Israel, Australia, Qatar, Oman, Singapore, Japan, Canada, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Italy, Kuwait, Turkiye and Pakistan, and is expected to be completed by May 2030.
While the announcement listed Pakistan among the participating countries, the US Embassy has confirmed that the reference pertains to ongoing sustainment support, not new missile deliveries.
Pakistan had previously purchased about 700 AMRAAMs in 2007 for its F-16 fleet, which was then the largest international order for the air-to-air missile system.
Reports of a new supply deal surfaced weeks after Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Army Chief General Asim Munir met US President Donald Trump in September.
