The US will supply Pakistan with a set of AIM-120 Advanced Medium-Range Air-to-Air Missiles (AMRAAM). This deal marks a new phase in defence cooperation between the two countries, the US Department of War (DoW) said in an official statement. This move comes under a newly modified arms contract, which names Pakistan among the confirmed foreign buyers of the missile system manufactured by Raytheon.

The contract added an extra USD 41.6 million to a previously awarded deal (FA8675-23-C-0037) for the production of the AMRAAM’s C8 and D3 variants. With this addition, the total contract value now exceeds USD 2.51 billion, the DoW said. However, the statement does not reveal how many missiles Pakistan will receive. The agreement also includes other countries such as the United Kingdom, Germany, Australia, Japan, and Saudi Arabia. Work under the contract is scheduled to continue until May 2030.

Experts believe that including Pakistan in the AMRAAM programme may signal upgrades to the Pakistan Air Force’s F-16 fleet. The AIM-120 missile is compatible only with F-16 fighter jets operated by the PAF. The missile has been in the spotlight before, reportedly being used in 2019 when Pakistan shot down an Indian Air Force MiG-21 flown by Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman.

According to defence sources, the AIM-120C8 version that Pakistan will get is the export version of the AIM-120D, which is the most advanced AMRAAM in US service. Currently, Pakistan operates the older C5 variant, around 500 of which were acquired in 2010 along with Block 52 F-16s.

This development comes amid improved relations between Islamabad and Washington. Last month in Washington DC, former US President Donald Trump met Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Army Chief Field Marshal Asim Munir. Earlier in June, Munir had a rare one-on-one meeting at the Oval Office with Trump. In July, PAF Chief Air Chief Marshal Zaheer Ahmed Babar visited the US State Department. The ties between the two countries have strengthened since the brief conflict with India in May this year.

After the conflict, Pakistan credited Trump for helping broker a ceasefire and even suggested his name for the Nobel Peace Prize. India, however, rejected this claim, saying the truce resulted from direct talks between the Directors General of Military Operations (DGMOs) of both countries. This new missile deal reflects the ongoing warming of defence and diplomatic relations between Pakistan and the United States.