United States clears $428 million military support packages for India

Key facts

• The United States (US) cleared two military support packages worth $428 million for India through the Foreign Military Sale (FMS) mechanism.
• A package estimated at $198 million provides sustainment support for AH-64E Apache attack helicopters, covering contractor engineering, technical support, personnel training, and logistics support services.
• The Indian Air Force (IAF) currently operates 22 Apache helicopters, while the Indian Army operates six.
• A package estimated at $230 million provides sustainment support for M777A2 ultra-light howitzers, including ancillary items, spare parts, repairs, training, and programme support.
• The M777 howitzers are deployed along the Chinese and Pakistani borders and were utilised with Excalibur ammunition during Operation Sindoor.