The United States has approved a possible $131 million arms deal with India to help improve its maritime surveillance system at a time when tensions between India and Pakistan are escalating.
The deal was announced on April 30 by the Defence Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA) — a US government body that manages defence sales to other countries.
The DSCA stated that the sale will include SeaVision software, training, support services, and other tools to assist India in monitoring activities in the Indo-Pacific region.
“This sale will improve India’s ability to detect threats and strengthen its position in the region,” the DSCA said in an official statement.
The deal is intended to support the US-India strategic partnership and promote security in South Asia.
The primary contractor for this sale is a US company named Hawkeye 360, based in Virginia. No US military personnel will be deployed to India as part of this agreement.
The DSCA also clarified that this sale will not alter the military balance in the region.
This development occurs just days after heightened tensions between India and Pakistan, particularly following the recent violence in Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir.
In the April 22 terror attack in Pahalgam, IIOJK, in which 26 tourists were killed, India blamed Pakistan for the assault without presenting evidence, leading to a series of retaliatory diplomatic and strategic actions from both sides.
Subsequently, New Delhi suspended the Indus Waters Treaty, revoked visas of Pakistanis, and closed the Wagah-Attari border crossing, among other measures.
Moreover, earlier on Wednesday, the US State Department reported that Secretary of State Marco Rubio called on India and Pakistan to collaborate to ease tensions.
During his phone conversation with Rubio, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif emphasized Pakistan’s leading role in the fight against terror, noting that the country had sacrificed over 90,000 lives and suffered more than $152 billion in economic losses, according to a statement from the Prime Minister’s Office.
Describing India’s recent actions as “escalatory and provocative”, PM Shehbaz called them deeply disappointing and warned they could divert Pakistan from its efforts to combat terrorism.
He firmly rejected India’s attempts to link Pakistan to the Pahalgam attack and reiterated his call for a transparent, credible, and neutral investigation.
