America's top manufacturer of armed drones, General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, may soon have an office in Delhi. In a statement, the company said the new office in the national capital will come up by end of the year, PTI reported.

The company's Chief Executive Officer Linden Blue said, "We are looking forward to continuing to enhance our cooperation with India by working with the US government to provide the Indian Navy with persistent, operationally proven maritime domain awareness." He added that the company recognises India's importance and looks forward to working more closely with the Indian government from its new local office.

The move is significant in the backdrop of India joining the Missile Technology Control Regime, a multilateral export control regime. With this membership, India can now buy high-end missile technology and state-of-the-art surveillance drones. India has reportedly sent a letter to the US government, requesting 22 Predator aircraft. The Predator is an American unmanned aerial vehicle used by the US air force and the Central Intelligence Agency.