INDIAN AWACS PROJECT - DRDO Targeting 2011 For Project Completion

[TsAr]

This is not the first project that DRDO is going to take on...but we have to look at history there previous projects have failed miserably liek arjun tank, LCA etc....I am sure this will meet the same fate

 

[Rajkumar]

This is not the first project that DRDO is going to take on...but we have to look at history there previous projects have failed miserably liek arjun tank, LCA etc....I am sure this will meet the same fate

even this will fail .let me assure you one thing.

we will try it again and again & again.

 

[PeacefulIndian]

This is not the first project that DRDO is going to take on...but we have to look at history there previous projects have failed miserably liek arjun tank, LCA etc....I am sure this will meet the same fate

When you start with extremely small amount of resources & experience, there are bound to be failures. In case of DRDO, they are a tad more in number, but justified nevertheless. Important are the learnings that you take home.

Now look at today's situation. A strong Indian economy, recently increased defence budget making billions of $$ available at the disposal of DRDO, a crew of skilled technicians, learnings from previous failed projects, strategic partners like Russia, Israel, US. Where do you see this project going?

 

[Gabbar]

DRDO unit to develop low-cost radar system​

BANGALORE: The Centre for Airborne Systems (CABS) at Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) is all geared up to develop a low-cost
indigenous radar system, which they claim can be similar or more advanced than the Israeli Phalcon Airborne Warning and Control System (AWACS). This will reduce India’s dependence on Israel and create more business opportunities for the local industry.

They are also in the process of developing an indigenous radar system - the airborne early warning and control system (AEWC&S) - which can be used to develop a radar similar to AWACS.

“DRDO is equipped to develop an indigenous radar system at substantially low-cost by using technologies developed for indigenous AEWC&S,” said a CABS official.

DRDO said the Rs 1,800-crore AEWC&S or ‘Eye in the sky’ is scheduled for delivery by 2011. This system alone is capable of creating business opportunities worth Rs 500-600 crore for SMEs. CABS and its other work centres at DRDO are taking the help of around 50-60 SMEs and PSUs to develop the system. Some of these include Astra Microwave, Alligator Designs, Mistral Solutions, CMC, BEL, BDL, Chaturvedi Tools, SM Creative, Cornett, Data Patterns and Ayur.

DRDO sees an immense opportunity in developing these advanced radar systems, as the Indian Air Force is looking to acquire an additional 20 such systems.

This is because six aircraft fitted with such radars can effectively cover only an area equivalent to India’s northern borders.

India had, in May 2009, taken delivery of AWACS, which is part of a $1.1-billion defence deal with Israel. The system is designed to detect aircraft at high altitude and allows operators to distinguish between friendly and hostile aircraft, even if they are hundreds of miles away.

Experts like Ajey Lele from the Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses (IDSA) said: “India needs AWACS for its security needs and it would be a welcome step, if India develops these indigenously. AWACS would provide IAF a high degree of situational awareness, enabling it to dominate the airspace.”

DRDO chief controller R&D Prahlada said the indigenous AEWC&S, to be mounted on three Embraer-145 jets, being obtained from Brazil for $210 million “will be very advanced with the latest image processing facilities and better software systems compared to foreign sophisticated radar systems”.

Scientists at CABS and its work centres like LRDE, Defence Avionics Research Establishment, Defence Electronics Research Laboratory, DEAL at DRDO have developed indigenous software for tactical battle management and signal processing, which can be used in radars. “These software, if procured from abroad, could have cost more than $100 million,” said a CABS scientist.

Sources said a South African wireless solutions provider Tellumat is in talks with DRDO to have Identification, Friend or Foe (IFF) systems, which are used in programmes such as AEWC&S. Sources said the IFF sensors proposal could throw up a number of opportunities, as Tellumat may have plans to manufacture these systems in India.

DRDO is looking to engage a foreign partner to help CABS optimise the time and cost involved for integrating and evaluating the AEWC&S. Some of the contenders include Israel’s Elta, European EADS, Sweden’s Saab Erikson and the US’ Raytheon and Northrop Grumman.

 

[Screaming Skull]

DRDO CABS AEW&CS Embraer-145 configuration: (Copyright image: domain-b)​

 

[Screaming Skull]

DRDO's development of AEW&CS system to result in low-cost offshoot​

30 July 2009

Bangalore: The Centre for Airborne Systems (CABS) at Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) has revealed that it has developed a low-cost, indigenous radar system, which will match and even surpass the Israeli Phalcon Airborne Warning and Control System (AWACS).

''DRDO is equipped to develop an indigenous radar system at substantially low-cost by using technologies developed for indigenous AEW&CS,'' said a CABS official.

An indigenous airborne early warning and control system (AEW&CS), to be based on Embraer-145 platforms, is being readied for delivery by 2011. The system will be developed at a cost of Rs 1,800-crore.

This CABS- developed indigenous system alone is capable of creating business opportunities worth Rs500-600 crore for SMEs in the country. CABS officials said its various work centres at DRDO are already tapping around 50-60 SMEs and PSUs to develop the indigenous system.

Some of these SMEs include Astra Microwave, Alligator Designs, Mistral Solutions, CMC, BEL, BDL, Chaturvedi Tools, SM Creative, Cornett, Data Patterns and Ayur.

domain-b.com : DRDO's development of AEW&CS system to result in low-cost offshoot

 

[sancho]

DRDO CABS AEW&CS Embraer-145 configuration: (Copyright image: domain-b)​

There are some differences on the airframe to the normal EMB 145 AWACS aircraft:

Can somebody tell me what the reason of these changes are and provide some specs like radar range, how many targets can be detected and what degree of detection the radar arrays will have?

 

[Screaming Skull]

Can somebody tell me what the reason of these changes are and provide some specs like radar range, how many targets can be detected and what degree of detection the radar arrays will have?

There was a feature about the Indian AEW&C in the Feb-2008 issue of Aeromag Asia. I l quote that info as it is. This is all there is in the open I guess!

The Indian AEW&C]

The Indian Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) have launched an AEW&C programme that is focussed on the needs of the Indian Air Force. The Centre for Air-Borne Systems
(CABS) of the DRDO that is tasked with the development of the system is pursuing the programme with participation of multiple work-centres from within DRDO as well as Industries in the Public and Private Sector. The Indian AEW&C system will detect, identify and classify threats present in the surveillance area and act as a Command and Control Centre to support Air Defence operations. The system with its multiple
Communication and Data Links can alert and direct fighters against threats while providing ‘Recognizable Air Surface Picture’ (RASP) to commanders at the Ground Exploitation Stations (GES) that are strategically located. The AEW&C system can thus support Air Force in offensive strike missions and assist Forces in the tactical battle area. What is more, the AEW&C system also comprises Electronic and Communication Support Measures that can intercept and counter unfriendly radar transmissions and communication signals.

Primary Surveillance Radar

The primary sensor for the AEW&C will be an Active Electronically Steered Array Radar with a normal detection range and an extended range against a target Radar Cross Section (RCS) of the fighter class of aircraft. Two radiating planar arrays assembled back-to-back and mounted on top of the fuselage in a Dorsal Unit (DoU) will provide coverage on either side of the DoU. The important modes of operation of the system are the sea surveillance and the air surveillance. The sensor has the abilities to search, track-while-scan, priority tracking, high performance tracking, etc. In priority tracking, the targets will be placed in full track mode even if it crosses the primary surveillance area. In high performance tracking, additional measurements will be made to improve the tracking accuracies. Utilising the active aperture technology, the radar provides a fast-beam agile system that can operate in several modes concurrently.
Secondary Surveillance Radar The Secondary Surveillance Radar (SSR) system, or the Identification Friend or Foe system, determines whether the target detected by the Primary Radar is a ‘friend’ or ‘foe‘. The interrogator emits a message querying the target in a particular sector. Replies from the target are automatically associated with the Primary Radar detections. This information is then used by the AEW&C system to identify locations of friendly and unfriendly aircraft in the area and deal with them appropriately.

Mission Communications System (MCS)

The Mission Communications System provides Air-to-Air V/UHF voice and data channels. It also provides for integrated control of all on-board communication sets and intercom for the entire mission Work Station Operators as well as the flight crew. The communication channels have in-built ECCM features as well. The various segments of the total operational system in the air and on the ground would have a multi-service standardized data link structure that enabled communication among the AEW&C Systems, other AWACS aircraft, the Fighter/Interceptor aircraft and the Ground Exploitation Systems..

Electronic Support Measure (ESM) and Communication Support Measure (CSM)

The ESM and CSM systems will support suppression of hostile air defences. This will be achieved by performing the surveillance of the environment for detection and identification of hostile emitters of both communication and non-communication types. Towards this, the ESM system operates over a wide range of frequencies with complete coverage of 360° in azimuth and -15° to 5° in elevation. The ESM thus provides the bearing and the location of the hostile emitters to augment the Primary Radar performance. The system is capable of analyzing and identifying the emitter characteristics with a frequency accuracy of 1 MHz and a directional accuracy of 2° (rms). An easy search method to scan through the database library of 3,000 emitters would also be a feature of the ESM. The system also has the capability to record and save the data for post-flight analysis. The CSM system shall intercept the communication signals and perform the required analysis for in-flight operations. It additionally records the signals on-board for post- flight analysis.

Self Protection System (SPS)

The AEW&C system will have a Self Protection sub-system. The SPS shall consist of Radar Warning Receiver (RWR), Missile Approach Warning system (MAWS) and Counter Measures Dispensing System (CMDS). The RWR function will be augmented by the ESM and will consist of the Warner Library and Display. The MAWS will be a passive UV based system and, augmented with the RWR, will give necessary warning to the pilot to appropriately activate the CMDS. It provides the essential displays to the pilot and helps in the activation of the CMDS as well as adoption of escape maneuvers for self-protection.

Mission System Controller (MSC)

The Mission System Controller will integrate the information from all the above-mentioned sensors. Its functions include system controls, mission modes, functional control logic, redundant array of independent disks (RAID), database management, integrity function, multi-sensor data fusion, health monitoring, time synchronization, bus control and other housekeeping functions. In addition, MSC will carry out the intercept control functions. MSC will interface with the DHDS system for all operator control and display features.

Data Handling and Display System DHDS)

DHDS will facilitate mission system operators to interface with the AEW&C system. The AEW&C system will have Operator Work Stations for Surveillance, Interception, and ESM & CSM functions. All the consoles can be reconfigured as required. In general, menus, displays and other presentation logic can be performed by each console. The consoles also help in planning of the mission with communication information handling, weather data handling, mission data preparation and handling.

Data Links

The AEW&C system will be capable of interoperating with other AEW&C systems, fighters, and AWACS aircraft in the air and other earlywarning and air-defence systems on the ground.
The data from the Radar, ESM and CSM can be down linked to the ground stations and the tactical control data up-linked to the AEW&C system. To this end, the AEW&C system will communicate to the Ground Exploitation Stations through ‘C’- Band Data Link and SATCOM. The Data Links will operate with two voice channels.

Aircraft Platform

The Aircraft platform to house the AEW&C System should have the matching flight performance attributes to facilitate that the Mission System tasks are performed effectively during the operational missions. To facilitate extended operations, the endurance of the aircraft can be augmented by an In-Flight Refuelling system

Conclusion

The AEW&C System will boost the Air Force’s Air Operations Capability. The System is multidisciplinary and complex and is projected to be designed, developed, tested, certified and inducted into service in an optimal timeframe. Indigenous development of the Indian AEW&C means three things to the Nation: (i) Air Force is getting a system that costs a fraction of the price of a comparable system in the world market, (ii) the indigenous capabilities being generated in terms of technologies and infrastructure will be an assurance against technology denials by bigbrother nations and (iii) the ‘feel good’ factor of becoming one among the select group of Nations who really have the wherewithal to make a machine of this kind.
The adversaries of India should soon be nervous even to warn their forces, ‘Keep off and keep quiet, the Indian AEW&C is on the prowl’, as they would know that the Indian AEW&C would be watching, sensing and listening to whatever happens in its domain! Globally speaking, it seems possible that AEW&Cs around the planet Earth can bring about a World Without War, or, nip the war in the bud, if ever someone thoughtlessly triggered one.

 

[sancho]

Something's Cooking At CABS

There's been some frenetic activity at the Center for Airborne Systems (CABS) in Bangalore, where scientists are developing India's indigenous airborne early warning & control (AEW&C) system. According to the latest DRDO newsletter, there has been a flurry of senior-level visits to the lab recently ostensibly to validate what's been done so far, and right before the next big step is taken. The visitors included Air Vice Marshal Daljit Singh, Asst Chief of Air Staff (Operations) on July 17, Air Vice Marshal RK Sharma, Asst Chief of Air Staff (Plans) on July 22 and finally Air Marshal NV Tyagi, Deputy Chief of Air Staff on July 29. That's quite a few visits in quick succession, and certainly suggests that CABS finally has something to "show". A team from Embraer has been embedded with CABS ever since DRDO and the Brazilian aircraft and systems manufacturer formally teamed up back on February 5, 2005.

CABS Director Dr S Christopher writes in the latest issue of Vayu that the CABS/Embraer AEW&C aircraft is expected to be available and operational in 2012.

LiveFist - The Best of Indian Defence: Something's Cooking At CABS

 

[peace123]

 

[luoshan]

great news..

 

[Screaming Skull]

CABS was handing out brochures of the Indian AWACS during Aero-India 09. They had limited stock which ran out within the first few hours after the exhibition was opened to the public. I was one of the lucky guys to get my hands on one! But guess what? I misplaced mine during the event (most probably in that overcrowded shack they called a food court) and spent the next few days cursing myself Luckily today I bumped onto the scans of the brochure posted by some other netizen (god bless him/her).

 

[Screaming Skull]

Continued.........

 

[navtrek]

This is not the first project that DRDO is going to take on...but we have to look at history there previous projects have failed miserably liek arjun tank, LCA etc....I am sure this will meet the same fate

well the answer is no read the following it has other fate also.....

Prithvi missile

recently tested and also inducted in the army by DRDO.
Prithvi (missile) - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Nag anti-tank missiles:



The Indian Army has placed an order of 443 Nag missiles and 13 Namicas for introduction in the next 3 years.Nag will be the first weapon of such kind that will be inducted into the army by November-December of 2009.

Nag missile - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Akash SAM:

The Indian Air force was satisfied with the performance of Akash after extensive flight trials and has decided to induct the weapon system. Orders for two squadrons have been placed. This is the first order of an indigenous tactical missile by the Indian Armed Forces.

This system is claimed to be more accurate than the MIM-104 Patriot as it has thrust during the entire course of its flight compared to the Patriot that has thrust only for the first 12 seconds, after which the missile coasts, thus making it less accurate. Apart from that the Akash can be launched from static or mobile platforms, including a battle tank.

Brahmos cruise missile:

Indo-Russian joint venture tested and inducted in the army & so on ....

Agni I and Agni II

DRDO is not that big a flop

 

[Screaming Skull]

A short promotional film on Centre for Airborne Systems (CABS) of DRDO.