NEW DELHI: The United States has cleared $428 million in support and logistical support for India’s Apache attack helicopters and M777 howitzers, both of which form key elements of the Indian military’s frontline combat capability.
The US State Department has approved a $198.2 million Foreign Military Sales (FMS) package for support services to India’s Apache helicopter fleet, along with a separate $230 million package for sustainment support for the M777 ultra-light system, according to announcements released Tuesday by the US Bureau of Military Political Affairs.
The Apache package includes engineering, logistics and technical support services, spares, repairs, training, technical publications and other assistance related to the program, with Boeing and Lockheed Martin as prime contractors.
India had signed a government-to-government agreement with the US in September 2015 for 22 AH-64E Apache attack helicopters for the Indian Air Force under a contract worth around $2.1 billion. The helicopters were delivered between 2019 and 2020 and are mainly deployed in Pathankot and Jorhat.
Then, in February 2020, India signed another contract worth about $800 million for six AH-64E Apache helicopters for the Army Aviation Corps. Deliveries, delayed by supply chain disruptions, began in 2025, with the helicopters now assigned to an Army aviation squadron in Jodhpur.
India currently operates a fleet of 28 Apache attack helicopters, 22 with the IAF and six with the Army Aviation Corps.
In a separate announcement, the US also approved long-term support for the M777 ultra-light howitzers purchased by India under a USD 737 million deal signed in November 2016.
According to the US announcement, the support package includes auxiliary equipment, spares, repair and return services, technical assistance, training, field service representatives, warehouse maintenance capabilities and other logistical support elements.
India inducted 145 M777 guns manufactured by BAE Systems, with a number assembled in India in partnership with Mahindra Defense under the Make in India programme. Light artillery systems are widely deployed in high-altitude sectors along the north and east, as they can be rapidly transported over mountainous terrain.
The M777 can fire GPS-guided Excalibur precision munitions up to a range of about 40 km. The same munition, capable of near-point accuracy, was among the munitions used during Operation Sindoor to target terrorist infrastructure along the Line of Control.
US announcements said the proposed sales would “support the foreign policy and national security objectives of the United States” by strengthening the US-India strategic relationship and enhancing the security of a “major defense partner” that remains “an important force for political stability, peace and economic progress in the Indo-Pacific and South Asia regions”.
