ashok321
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Pakistan is slated to see its own fleet of such aircraft increase by year-end as it starts receiving 3 SAAB 2000 "Erieye" AEW&C aircraft
Already way behind China, India is struggling to even keep up with Pakistan in the critical arena of AWACS (airborne warning and control systems) aircraft that can detect incoming fighters, cruise missiles and drones much before ground-based radars as well as direct fighters in combat operations.
AWACS or 'Eyes in the Sky' are considered "major force-multipliers" in modern-day warfare due to their capability to provide early warning about hostile threats at ranges over 400 km in all-weather conditions, as also act as autonomous command and control centres. India is yet to fully get its act together on this front.
The deal for two more Phalcon AWACS, which are to be procured under a three-nation deal involving India, Israel, and Russia, is stuck because of a sharp escalation in the price of the Russian aircraft that will house the Israeli sensors, The Times of India reported on Tuesday. Citing sources, the national daily said that while the government was ready to pay close to $800 million for the two AWACS, the price being demanded by the original equipment manufacturers was $1.3 billion.
In March of 2016, the Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) had cleared the proposal to acquire two more Phalcon AWACS at a cost of Rs 7,500 crore.
IAF currently has just three Phalcon AWACS, with Israeli early-warning radars mounted in domes on top of IL-76 aircraft, which were acquired under the Rs 5,042 crore tripartite deal among India, Israel and Russia in 2004. The Phalcons do pack quite a punch, with 360-degree coverage over a 400 km range. But while the long-pending $1 billion deal for two more Phalcons is yet to be inked, audit watchdog CAG has blasted the "sub-optimal utilisation" of the three existing ones due to poor planning and serviceability.
In contrast, China has over 20 AWACS, including the new KJ-500 ones that can track over 60 aircraft at ranges up to 470 km. Pakistan has four Swedish SAAB-2000 AEW&C aircraft and four Chinese-origin ZDK-03 (KJ-200) AWACS. The shortage of AWACS comes at a time when even Pakistan is expanding its own fleet of these vital platforms.
India's indigenous efforts to plug the operational gaps have been dogged by delays. DRDO officials said the three AEW&C aircraft christened as "Netra", with 240-degree coverage radars fitted on three smaller Brazilian Embraer-145 was handed over to the Air Force at Aero India 2017. The AEW&C aircraft's sensor package consists of an AESA radar, a secondary surveillance radar, electronic and communication countermeasures, line of sight (LOS) and beyond-LOS data link, voice communication system, and self-protection suite. There were delays in the project due to several factors, including a 27-month one since IAF wanted additional operational requirements.
The bigger worry is the AWACS-India project, which will involve mounting 360 degree coverage AESA (active electronically scanned array) radars on two Airbus A-330 wide-body jets. It will take 5-7 years to build the first two AWACS.
