On 10 October, the United States Department of War (DoW) / Department of Defense (DoD) clarified that an earlier adjustment to an existing contract for the production and sustainment of AIM-120 Advanced Medium-Range Air-to-Air Missiles (AMRAAM) did not include the sale of new missiles to Pakistan. Rather, the adjustment was for the sustainment of the Pakistan Air Force’s (PAF) existing AIM-120C5 stocks.
Earlier, on 30 September, the United States Department of War (DoW)/Department of Defense (DoD) had apparently added Pakistan to a list of buyers for the Raytheon (RTX) AIM-120C8/D3 Advanced Medium-Range Air-to-Air Missile (AMRAAM).
Pakistan’s inclusion came through a $41.68 million adjustment (P00026) to a previously awarded contract (FA8675-23-C-0037) now worth $2.51 billion for AIM-120C8/D to recent NATO and non-NATO customers of the missile.
Quwa had theorized that the adjustment could be an indicator of the US approving the sale of new AIM-120C8/D3s to the PAF, but this is not the case with this specific contract.
Under the Peace Drive deal in 2005, the PAF acquired 500 AIM-120C5 AMRAAM air-to-air missiles, which it utilized operationally in 2019 by shooting down an Indian Air Force MiG-21bis.
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