Washington, May 19: (NVI) : The United States has approved a possible Foreign Military Sale worth an estimated USD 198.2 million to India for follow-on support services and related equipment for AH-64E Apache helicopters, the U.S. Department of State said.
According to the Bureau of Political-Military Affairs, the proposed package includes Apache sustainment support services, engineering, technical and logistics support from the U.S. government and contractors, technical data and publications, personnel training, and other elements of logistics and programme support.
The Pentagon’s Defense Security Cooperation Agency has notified the U.S. Congress of the proposed sale.
The U.S. said the proposed deal would support its foreign policy and national security objectives by strengthening the U.S.-India strategic partnership and enhancing the security of a major defence partner 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,” the statement said, adding that India would have no difficulty integrating the support services into its armed forces.
The statement further noted that the proposed sale would not alter the basic military balance in the region.
The principal contractors for the deal will be Boeing Company of Arlington, Virginia, and Lockheed Martin of Orlando, Florida.
The U.S. also stated that the proposed sale would have no adverse impact on American defence readiness.(NVI)
