Pakistan among nations to receive US-made AMRAAM missiles

The United States Department of War has announced that Pakistan is among the countries set to receive Raytheon’s Advanced Medium Range Air-to-Air Missiles (AMRAAM), according to a press release issued on September 30. The American defence manufacturer has been granted an additional $41.6 million, raising the total value of the ongoing AMRAAM production contract to $2.5 billion.

The new contract covers the production of the AMRAAM C8 and D3 variants, which are among the latest models in Raytheon’s advanced missile series. The work will be carried out at the company’s facility in Tucson, Arizona, and is expected to be completed by May 30, 2030.

As reported by Dawn, the Pakistan Air Force (PAF) is expected to equip its fleet of F-16 Falcon fighter jets with the newly procured missiles. Interestingly, Pakistan was not listed among the buyers in the initial AMRAAM deal announced on May 7. The inclusion in the updated contract signals a revival of defence cooperation between Islamabad and Washington.

Pakistan had previously purchased 700 AMRAAM missiles in January 2007 — then the largest international order for the weapon. The new deal adds to the country’s long-standing reliance on US-supplied technology for its air combat capabilities.

The Department of War statement confirmed that the contract involves foreign military sales to several allied nations, including the United Kingdom, Germany, Israel, Australia, Qatar, Oman, Singapore, Japan, Canada, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Italy, Kuwait, Turkiye — and now, Pakistan.

The missile deal was announced soon after a high-level meeting in September between US President Donald Trump, Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, and Army Chief General Asim Munir — a timing that analysts believe underscores a renewed phase in US–Pakistan defence ties.