Washington, It is likely that US will make positive decision on the request of India for state-of-the art unarmed Guardian drones for maritime surveillance, especially in the Indian Ocean.

In June, India was designated as a major defence partner of the US after which the move comes.

In February, an official letter of request has been sent by the Indian Navy within the week of that designation.

The letter has been sent to Department of Defense towards purchase of 22 high-tech multi-mission Predator Guardian UAVs.

According to sources, “the administration believes that an approval of such a major military sale would help in sealing Indian US defense relationship, bring in a new level of comfort between the two militaries and would be considered as a lasting legacy not only for India but also for the Asia-Pacific pivot of the outgoing president. “

Any formal decision on it has not been made yet by the US government, but is believed to have started an inter agency process on the Indian request.

According to the top governmental sources, US Defence Secretary Ashton Carter and Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar had detailed discussions on predator Guardian UAV to fulfill maritime surveillance requirements.