In a big boost to defence preparedness of the country, the government has approved the production and indigenous development of advanced airborne early warning and control systems under the 'AWACS India' programme.
According to The Economic Times, this historic decision is expected to greatly enhance surveillance as well as command capabilities of the Indian Air Force (IAF) and make India one of the few countries with indigenous airborne radar platforms.
The ambitious project, worth around ₹20,000 crore, will involve the deployment of advanced radar systems on six wide-body jets, making them airborne command posts that can detect threats at long ranges. The airborne systems will act as force multipliers, allowing early detection of adversary aircraft, ground sensors, and electronic emissions, as well as coordinating real-time battle operations.
Once government approvals have been obtained, the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) is now poised to spearhead the programme in collaboration with Indian defence companies and multinational aerospace behemoth Airbus. The programme entails installation of a high-performance radar array and mission systems on Airbus A321 aircraft.
The Indian Air Force already possesses six A321s in its fleet, which were originally acquired from Air India. These aircraft will be modified extensively structurally with the addition of a dorsal radar dome for the purpose of 360-degree coverage—necessary for effective airborne surveillance.
As per The Economic Times, the project will be finished in three years. It will give indigenous industry experience in putting together and integrating intricate defence technologies. The aircraft will have cutting-edge Active Electronically Scanned Array (AESA) radars and an India-developed mission control suite, highlighting the increased focus on self-reliant defence manufacturing.
Designated Netra MkII, the upgraded aerial surveillance system is an improvement over previous successes. DRDO, leading the AWACS India initiative, just got clearance to produce the prototype of India's fifth-generation Advanced Multirole Combat Aircraft (AMCA), further establishing its growing role in domestically developed defence systems.
This is the first time an Airbus platform will be employed for a mission of this kind, which has hitherto been Boeing's domain across the world. Defence analysts view this as a possible breakthrough that will usher in new markets for surveillance systems manufactured in India in the years to come.
Currently, the Indian Air Force has smaller Netra airborne early warning platforms that have proven useful in operational usage, especially in encounters with Pakistan. The IAF also possesses a fleet of three IL-76-based Phalcon AWACS that were jointly developed with Israel and Russia. These older aircraft, however, have faced persistent maintenance and availability problems.
AWACS India's clearance marks an emphatic shift towards the establishment of an advanced, strong, and domestic surveillance system for the Indian armed forces with significant consequences for both country security and arms exports.
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