India seals Javelin deal as US defence partnership deepens
Giving a major boost to India’s firepower and ties with the US, New Delhi has inked a deal to procure the lethal Javelin anti-tank guided missiles. Announcing the agreement, US Ambassador to Indian Sergio Gor said on Friday the agreement reflects a bilateral defence partnership that is growing “deeper, more capable, and more consequential.”
The Javelin system is an advanced, medium-range, fire-and-forget anti-tank guided missile. It is used by the US Army, US Marine Corps, and numerous international customers and is designed for use against a wide array of targets, including armoured vehicles and fortified positions.
The system is produced by the Javelin Joint Venture, a partnership between RTX and Lockheed Martin.
The shoulder-fired system features an automatic guidance mechanism that allows the missile to track its target after launch, enabling the operator to take cover and avoid counterfire.
The procurement of Javelin missiles will be a Government-to-Government deal through the Foreign Military Sales (FMS) route wherein the US Government stands guarantee for all the contractual obligations. However, it is not immediately known the number of Javelin anti-tank guided missile systems India is procuring or the overall cost of the procurement.
The Indian army has signed a Letter of Offer and Acceptance (LOA) for the purchase of the Javelin missiles under emergency procurement. The development comes months after Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and his US counterpart Pete Hegseth signed a 10-year framework to deepen bilateral defence relations.
The latest deal comes amid India’s expanding procurement of US defence equipment. In November 2025, the US State Department approved a potential $93 million sale to India covering up to 100 Javelin systems and 216 Excalibur guided artillery projectiles.
The United States and India signed a framework for a major defence partnership last year in October, aimed at strengthening interoperability across land, sea, air, space, and cyberspace. India has also acquired several US-made defence platforms, including Apache and Chinook helicopters, C-17 and C-130J transport aircraft, P-8I maritime patrol aircraft and M777 howitzers.
