New Delhi, June 09: Set to chalk out a new range of military exercises, India and US are to broadbase their military ties which may include high-level dialogue on an early decision requested by New Delhi for sale of Patriot anti-missile system to it as well as holding negotiations on the upgraded Arrow system. The two countries will roll off these joint interactions in the next month's crucial meeting of security experts - the second in the series - which would discuss India's plea for lifting curbs on sale of duel-use technology.

Highly placed sources here said that the US did not categorise Patriot anti-missile system as well as Phalcon, an air-borne early warning radar, as items of duel use, but systems like the joint US-Israel Arrow missile shield could fall in this category.

This meeting, the sources said, would be followed by the annual meeting of the joint Indo-US defence policy group to be held here in August.

The last meeting of the DPG was held in US last year and the defence secretary Subir Dutta is a co-chairman of the group.

The sources said that the Indian request for Patriot missile, which served as an anti-missile shield in both the Gulf wars, was presently "under discussion." They said the negotiations on the next generation missile shield, the Arrow system, was also being held at the highest level.

The US authorities, the sources said, view the Patriot as well as Phalcon radars as "defensive armament systems" and has no objections to their transfer to New Delhi.

Bureau Report