The US State Department has announced that it will provide drones with advanced capabilities to India. Its spokesperson Vedant Patel disclosed this to reporters. "I believe the drones we sell to India will also have state-of-the-art maritime defence and surveillance capabilities. The sale of MQ 9Bs will be useful to strengthen the bond between the two countries," he said. Analysts believe that these comments indicate that the Indo-Pacific relationship between India and the US will become stronger.

Last week, the US Biden government approved the sale of 31 armed MQ9B drones to India and notified the country's Congress. Under this deal, India will purchase 15 SeaGuardian drones for sea operations and 16 SkyGuardians for infantry and air force at a cost of around $4 billion. If approved by Congress, it is possible that negotiations on the prices will be concluded and deliveries will start within a few months.