Agencies
Washington, June 22: The US has cleared the sale of 22 Guardian drones to India, governmental sources said Thursday. The deal is being termed as a “game changer” for bilateral ties ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s maiden visit to Washington for his meeting with President Donald Trump.
According to the informed governmental sources, the decision has been communicated to the Indian government and the manufacturer by the State Department Wednesday.
The deal is estimated to be worth $2 -3 billion.
“This is the first very significant sign of the Trump administration being more result oriented in its relationship with India compared to Obama administration,” a source disclosed.
The sources, who requested anonymity as the deal has not been formally announced, said the sale of 22 predator drones being manufactured by General Atomics is “a game changer” for US-India relations as it operationalises the status of “major defence partner”.
The designation of India being a “major defence partner” was decided by the previous Obama Administration, and formally approved by the Congress.
The State Department and the White House did not immediately respond to the questions in this regard. An official announcement is expected soon.
Earlier report said that if the Indian Navy gets the unarmed surveillance drones it wants to keep watch over the Indian Ocean it would be the first such purchase by a country that is not a member of the NATO alliance.
