'How quickly diplomatic climate changes': Congress reacts to Pak's inclusion in US AIM-120 missile deal; takes shot at Centre

NEW DELHI: Congress leader on Wednesday criticized the BJP-led central government after Pakistan was included in a recent notification for the supply of Raytheon's AIM-120 Advanced Medium-Range Air-to-Air Missiles (AMRAAM).

In a post on X, highlighting the shift, Ramesh said, “How quickly the diplomatic climate changes, and how quickly diplomatic setbacks accumulate!”




The Congress General Secretary in charge of Communications also shared two public notifications issued by the US Department of War: one dated May 7 and another on September 30.

He highlighted that the notification issued on September 30 added Pakistan to the list of countries set to receive Raytheon’s air-to-air missiles.



Ramesh observed that according to the May 7 notification, Raytheon's missiles were scheduled to be supplied to Canada, Taiwan, Bulgaria, Hungary, Poland, Sweden, the Czech Republic, South Korea, Kuwait, Japan, Finland, Germany, the UK, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway, Belgium, Australia, Turkey, Spain and Lithuania.

With a special emphasis on Pakistan, he added: "However, the US Department of War's public notification on military contracts awarded on Sept 30, 2025, includes countries like Qatar, Oman, Saudi Arabia, Israel, Turkey and Pakistan for the supply of the Raytheon air-to-air missiles."

The latest modification awards Raytheon an additional $41 million, raising the total contract value for production of the AIM-120 C8 and D3 variants to $2.51 billion.

Also Read |US-Pakistan deal: Islamabad to receive AIM-120 missiles compatible with its F-16s; used in retaliation to Balakot strikes

According to the US Department of War, the work will be performed at Tucson, Arizona, and is expected to be completed by May 30, 2030.

Dawn reported that the missiles are expected to be deployed on Pakistan Air Force F-16 fighters. The missile was reportedly used by the Pakistan Air Force during aerial engagements that followed the Balakot air strikes in 2019.
Select The Times of India as your preferred source on Google Search