No upgrade to Pakistan’s current capabilities: US clarifies media reports on missile sales to Pakistan

WASHINGTON: 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 relates only to sustainment and spare parts support and does not involve any delivery of new weapons.

In a statement, the US Embassy said the Department of War’s 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”, and added that the sustainment work “does not include an upgrade to any of Pakistan’s current capabilities.

On reports of air-to-air missile transfer to Pakistan, the US felt the need to clarify: No new AMRAAMs for Pakistan, only sustainment and spares.

“The sustainment does not include an upgrade to any of Pakistan’s current capabilities” pic.twitter.com/4AVALLGHnQ

— Shubhangi Sharma (@ItsShubhangi) October 10, 2025

The clarification follows media reports, including from Pakistan’s Dawn newspaper, that interpreted the US Department of War’s September 30 contract update as a new missile sale to Pakistan. The official release had announced that Raytheon Co., based in Tucson, Arizona, received a $41 million modification to an existing AMRAAM production contract, taking the total value to over $2.5 billion.

According to the original Department of War statement, the contract involves foreign military sales to several countries, including the United Kingdom, Germany, Israel, Australia, Qatar, Oman, Singapore, Japan, Canada, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Italy, Kuwait, Türkiye, and Pakistan, and is expected to be completed by May 2030.

While the announcement listed Pakistan among the participating countries, the US Embassy has now confirmed that the inclusion relates to ongoing sustainment support, not to new missile deliveries. Pakistan had previously purchased around 700 AMRAAMs in 2007 for its F-16 fleet, which was at that time the largest international order for the air-to-air missile system.

Reports of a new supply deal emerged weeks after Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Army Chief General Asim Munir met with US President Donald Trump in September (ANI)