US approves $131 million maritime tech sale to India amid heightened Indo-Pak tensions

The Defence Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA) formally notified the US Congress about the deal, which includes the Indo-Pacific Maritime Domain Awareness package and associated components.

According to the notification, India has requested access to SeaVision software, associated documentation, and training from a Technical Assistance Field Team. The agreement also covers logistical support and other ancillary services.

The DSCA said the sale would deepen strategic defence cooperation between the two countries and described India as a “major defence partner” and a key stabilising force in South Asia and the broader Indo-Pacific region.

“India will have no difficulty absorbing these articles and services into its armed forces,” the agency noted, adding that the deal would not disrupt the region’s military balance.

Deal follows spike in Indo-Pak tensions

The approval comes at a time of rising friction between India and Pakistan, following the deadly Pahalgam terror attack, in which 26 people were killed, most of them Hindu tourists.

The attack, conducted by The Resistance Front (TRF)—a proxy of the Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba—marked by chilling religious profiling, drew global condemnation.

India's investigative agencies have claimed the attackers were trained in Pakistan — a charge Islamabad has denied.

Tensions have further escalated along the Line of Control, where Indian forces say Pakistan has violated the ceasefire 17 times in the past week alone — a record number for such a short period.