The United States has formally notified a proposed $482.2 million sustainment support package for India’s AH-64E Apache attack helicopters and M777A2 ultra-light howitzers, a step that locks in long-term logistical and technical assistance for two platforms central to Indian Army modernisation. The Defence Security Cooperation Agency published the Foreign Military Sales notification on 17 June, a month after the State Department informed Congress. The package splits into $198.2 million for Apache engineering, training and depot-level support, with Boeing and Lockheed Martin as principal contractors, and $230 million for M777A2 spares, repair and field-service assistance, led by BAE Systems.

Viewed from Washington, the proposed sale is framed as reinforcing the US-India strategic relationship. The Pentagon described India as a “major defence partner” and a contributor to stability in the Indo-Pacific and South Asia, stating the support would improve India’s ability to “meet current and future threats, strengthen its homeland defence, and deter regional threats.” The notification does not introduce new weapons, but deepens the maintenance backbone for systems India already operates, including the Apaches used for precision strike and the M777s deployed in high-altitude terrain.

In parallel, Indian government sources told Reuters that New Delhi is in early-stage talks with the United Arab Emirates to sell the BrahMos supersonic cruise missile and the Akashteer automated air defence system. The discussions, which neither government has officially confirmed, come as the UAE reassesses its procurement strategy after facing missile and drone attacks during the recent Middle East conflict and seeks to protect the Strait of Hormuz. Because BrahMos is jointly developed with Russia, any export would require Moscow’s approval; one source indicated this is unlikely to be an obstacle given close Russia-UAE ties. Analysts in London note that a diversified supplier base offers Abu Dhabi greater strategic autonomy, while closer defence ties with India carry the added benefit of not antagonising Washington, as both remain US allies.

Indian officials cited by Reuters frame the UAE outreach as part of a broader push to expand defence exports, which crossed $4 billion in the last financial year, and as a counterweight to the recent Saudi Arabia-Pakistan defence pact. The UAE already operates US-made THAAD and Patriot systems, and Akashteer would integrate sensor data across these assets. The BrahMos missile, with an export range of 290 km, would add a supersonic land-attack capability alongside the UAE’s existing ATACMS ballistic missiles. Both dossiers remain in motion: the US support package now awaits final congressional approval, while the India-UAE talks are described as progressing rapidly but have yet to reach a formal agreement.