Modi-Trump meet: Drone deal to test defence ties that improved under Obama

If the deal happens, it would be the first such purchase by a country that is not part of NATO

The Centre is pushing for US approval of its request to buy a naval variant of the Predator drone, officials said, as Prime Minister Narendra Modi tries to revitalise relations with Washington when he meets President Donald Trump for the first time.

Securing agreement on the purchase of 22 unarmed drones is seen in New Delhi as a key test of defence ties that flourished under former President Barack Obama but have drifted under Trump, who has courted Asian rival China as he seeks Beijing's help to contain North Korea's nuclear programme.

Modi's two-day visit to Washington begins on Sunday.