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© DRDO

AIRBORNE EYE

AEW&C and AWACS are vital force multipliers for air forces in the region

By ATUL CHANDRA

A irborne Warning and Control platform and an IL-22 airborne radar inside a rotating radome atop

Systems (AWACS) and
an IL-76. The AWACS type was
command post. The A-50 is an
Airborne Early Warning and
The IAF also operates three indig-
Control Systems (AEW&C) are vital especially prized asset within the first inducted into the IAF in 2009.
Russian military due to its ability
battlefield force multipliers that are to look deep into enemy airspace enously developed ‘Netra’ AEW&C
highly sought after by air arms in and provide airborne command and aircraft which are based on the
the region. While expensive to pro- control to its combat aircraft deep Embraer-145 business jet. The IAF
cure, operate and maintain, these into enemy territory. The destruction is also pursuing the acquisition of
airborne platforms are in service of these two aircraft is said to have Intelligence Surveillance Targeting
with several air arms in the region; significantly impacted the opera- and Reconnaissance (ISTAR) air-
however the more expensive tional effectiveness of Russian air craft from the USA.
AWACS platforms are in service power over Ukrainian airspace.
with only a handful of nations in the In mid-2019, the Indian Ministry
Indo-Pacific region. of Defence (MoD) restarted an
India Moves Ahead AWACS programme that will result
These battlefield dominators have The Indian Air Force (IAF) is one in an indigenous replacement for
also been in the news recently with of only a handful of A-50 AWACS the three A-50Is now in IAF ser-
Ukraine announcing the shootdown operators, operating the A-50I, vice. India’s Defence Research &
of a Russian Air Force A-50 AWACS which features an Israeli Phalcon Development Organisation (DRDO)
is now pursuing a USD1.3 billion
programme to develop an AWACS
platform which makes use of
second-hand Airbus A321 jetliners
purchased from Air India.

The A321s will feature indigenously
designed and developed mission
systems, sub-systems provided
by DRDO, which will also under-
take their integration onto the
A321s. In December, last year, the
©Saab Indian MoD in its year-end review,
revealed that the IAF was already
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