IAF set to get two more Early Warning Systems

[Zapper]

The Defence Acquisition Council (DAC) last month cleared a Rs 9,000 crore joint proposal of the Defence Research and Development Organization (DRDO) and the Indian Air Force to purchase two Airbus 330s and convert them into 360-degree long-range capability Airborne Warning and Control Systems (AWACS), senior officials familiar with the development said on Saturday.

The proposal is now before the Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) and the entire project is estimated to take three years after the apex committee’s clearance.

“The need for more AWACS was acutely felt post the Balakot air strike, with Pakistan being able to deploy its SAAB AWACS 24x7 in the north and south sectors and India being able to cover the two theatres only for 12 hours each day,” one of the officials cited above said.


The DRDO has also decided to hand over a third Embraer-mounted Airborne Early Warning system to the IAF (Indian Air Force) to further enhance Indian capability in battlefield theatre. The IAF already has two Israeli PHALCON radars mounted on a Russian A-50 platform and two DRDO-developed radars mounted on Embraer platforms.

According to the proposal cleared by the DAC, the Airbus AWACS will be a 50:50 joint venture between the DRDO and the IAF. Once the aircraft are purchased, the DRDO will mount a 360-degree rotor dome radar along with state of the art communication capability to guide the IAF fighters and attack helicopters in future war theatres, one of the officials cited above said.

https://www.hindustantimes.com/indi...ing-systems/story-KC4gyG7wnY3gfXnl26cqUO.html

 

[PradoTLC]

In DODO we trust...

 

[maithil]

Hehehe.this will take At least another 15 years. Quickest way to boost up numbers was to keep inducting Embraer ones, but common sense is not so common.

 

[Zapper]

Hehehe.this will take At least another 15 years. Quickest way to boost up numbers was to keep inducting Embraer ones, but common sense is not so common.

DRDO has successfully delivered the NETRA AEW&CS system which is mounted on Embraer ERJ 145. They've also successfully integrated Uttam AESA radar onto the Tejas and have vast experience working on AESA.

https://economictimes.indiatimes.co...stem-to-iaf/articleshow/71092890.cms?from=mdr

 

[graphican]

An indian defense analyst was mentioning that after feb balakot strike and expecting a response back from PAF, India had 12 hours of AWACS surveillance in 24 hours. May be that was a reason they got over surprised.

 

[maithil]

DRDO has successfully delivered the NETRA AEW&CS system which is mounted on Embraer ERJ 145. They've also successfully integrated Uttam AESA radar onto the Tejas and have vast experience working on AESA.

https://economictimes.indiatimes.co...stem-to-iaf/articleshow/71092890.cms?from=mdr

Issue is not radar but the platform. Embraer is blacklisted and mating DRDO radar for Netra with a new platform will take time. On top of that, Netra program has been dropped and a new radar ala Phalcon has been developed which will be mounted on Airbus planes. This will take at least 10 years.

 

[Zapper]

Issue is not radar but the platform. Embraer is blacklisted and mating DRDO radar for Netra with a new platform will take time. On top of that, Netra program has been dropped and a new radar ala Phalcon has been developed which will be mounted on Airbus planes. This will take at least 10 years.

If you're talking about the Israeli Phalcon Awacs, three have already been inducted into the IAF with IL-76 as the mounting aircraft. I'm unaware of any other phalcon project that is supposed to be mounted on Airbus

In April 2019, DRDO proposed an upgraded Netra AEW&CS based on Airbus C-295 to the IAF as it already supports a static radar dome configuration. DRDO wanted C-295 to act as a common platform between currently used planar array radar with limited 240 degree coverage and the under development 360 degree static radar dome to save cost and time

An indian defense analyst was mentioning that after feb balakot strike and expecting a response back from PAF, India had 12 hours of AWACS surveillance in 24 hours. May be that was a reason they got over surprised.

Yeah, PAF is definitely ahead of IAF interms of induction or effective usage of AEW&CS

 

[Mav3rick]

If you're talking about the Israeli Phalcon Awacs, three have already been inducted into the IAF with IL-76 as the mounting aircraft. I'm unaware of any other phalcon project that is supposed to be mounted on Airbus

In April 2019, DRDO proposed an upgraded Netra AEW&CS based on Airbus C-295 to the IAF as it already supports a static radar dome configuration. DRDO wanted C-295 to act as a common platform between currently used planar array radar with limited 240 degree coverage and the under development 360 degree static radar dome to save cost and time

Yeah, PAF is definitely ahead of IAF interms of induction or effective usage of AEW&CS

But isn't PHALCON supposedly more advanced and the platform higher endurance? Why were these available for 12 hours only? Doesn't make sense at all.

And why weren't the PHALCONS sent up as soon as PAF movement was detected?

 

[Zapper]

But isn't PHALCON supposedly more advanced and the platform higher endurance? Why were these available for 12 hours only? Doesn't make sense at all.

And why weren't the PHALCONS sent up as soon as PAF movement was detected?

I'm not completely sure about this but during feb-27, IAF has 3 phalcons and 2 Netras deployed all across India with none of the phalcons in Kashmir. Only the mini Netra awacs mounted on the Embraer were operating with limited endurance time. IAF is extremely short on AWACS having only 5 in total to cover the entire airspace and I'm sure 2 must've been in the East and one atleast in the South

 

[Mav3rick]

I'm not completely sure about this but during feb-27, IAF has 3 phalcons and 2 Netras deployed all across India with none of the phalcons in Kashmir. Only the mini Netra awacs mounted on the Embraer were operating with limited endurance time.

Also, most of India's SAMs are of the previous gen except for the Akash & Spyder
IAF operates squadrons of S-125 Pechora, 9K33 Osa-AK, 9K38 Igla-1, Akash & SPYDER for air defence.

Pechora, Osa-AK & Igla-1 are kinda outdated and could potentially be jammed or evaded by your latest F-16s. IAF has 8 Akash squadrons while IA has 2 regiments, most of them are deployed to protect airbases and army's critical installations in other states while only a few batteries of Spyder SAMs in Kashmir but they happen to be much deeper I believe to protect Srinagar airbase. Also, when PAF sent a strike package of 24 jets - they were countered by 8 IAF fighters (Su-30s, Mig21s & Mirage 2K) which were performing CAP's at that time. These drawbacks crippled our defense in denying PAF's entry into our airspace

How can you buy into that nonsense? Is it possible that after attacking Pakistan, regardless of success or failure of that attack, and expecting imminent response from PAF, the IAF still had most of the critical assets away from Kashmir region? I cannot believe that, it is strange that anybody can. Otherwise you need to sack your Air Force top command and replace them with competent officers.

 

[Bossman]

DRDO has successfully delivered the NETRA AEW&CS system which is mounted on Embraer ERJ 145. They've also successfully integrated Uttam AESA radar onto the Tejas and have vast experience working on AESA.

https://economictimes.indiatimes.co...stem-to-iaf/articleshow/71092890.cms?from=mdr

Just look at the size of the Radar on Netra, looks like a limp dick. Compare its with the radar on PAF's ERIEYE system. For AESA size matters i.e. the number of modules. This is start of another wild goose chase for the Indians. Over ambitious and under delivered.

 

[Zapper]

How can you buy into that nonsense? Is it possible that after attacking Pakistan, regardless of success or failure of that attack, and expecting imminent response from PAF, the IAF still had most of the critical assets away from Kashmir region? I cannot believe that, it is strange that anybody can. Otherwise you need to sack your Air Force top command and replace them with competent officers.

Again, I said I'm not sure about this. We still dunno if the 2nd jet downed was an F-16 or Su-30 irrespective of what Pakistanis or Indians claim. I personally don't believe unless there's concrete evidence and I only consider one Mig-21 was downed. Even I was wondering what Indian SAMs were doing when IAF knew PAF would be pressurized to retaliate. Given the limited AWACS, we can't expect to deploy all of them in Kashmir since 2 are always required in China's borders and 1 in the South. Akash haven't been deployed yet in Kashmir atleast till 2018 per procurement & deployment reports. I'm unsure if IAF moved in any before initiating the Balakot strike while the rest of Spyders further away from the border. I agree it was kinda poor planning on IAF's part interms of defensive measures

 

[Wood]

Again, I said I'm not sure about this. We still dunno if the 2nd jet downed was an F-16 or Su-30 irrespective of what Pakistanis or Indians claim. I personally don't believe unless there's concrete evidence and I only consider one Mig-21 was downed. Even I was wondering what Indian SAMs were doing when IAF knew PAF would be pressurized to retaliate. Given the limited AWACS, we can't expect to deploy all of them in Kashmir since 2 are always required in China's borders and 1 in the South. Akash haven't been deployed yet in Kashmir atleast till 2018 per procurement & deployment reports. I'm unsure if IAF moved in any before initiating the Balakot strike while the rest of Spyders further away from the border. I agree it was kinda poor planning on IAF's part interms of defensive measures but again, the whole decision was taken in haste and outta pressure to retaliate for the Pulwama massacare.

The Balakot strike option was apparently proposed for 26/11 attack a well. So it was not an attack plan that was put together in haste. Seems like IAF did not anticipate a retaliation from PAF on the scale of swift retort. AWACS May have not been moved to Kashmir, because IAF would haves been focused on keeping the attack plan a secret. But in the end, they were surprised by the PAF retaliation.

Sad to know that no one has been fired for such incompetent planning!

 

[Pakistani Fighter]

The Balakot strike option was apparently proposed for 26/11 attack a well. So it was not an attack plan that was put together in haste. Seems like IAF did not anticipate a retaliation from PAF on the scale of swift retort. AWACS May have not been moved to Kashmir, because IAF would haves been focused on keeping the attack plan a secret. But in the end, they were surprised by the PAF retaliation.

Sad to know that no one has been fired for such incompetent planning!

Well I was reading one account which states that IAF AWACs were monitoring Pakistani airspace when Balakot strike was happening

 

[Zapper]

The Balakot strike option was apparently proposed for 26/11 attack a well. So it was not an attack plan that was put together in haste. Seems like IAF did not anticipate a retaliation from PAF on the scale of swift retort. AWACS May have not been moved to Kashmir, because IAF would haves been focused on keeping the attack plan a secret. But in the end, they were surprised by the PAF retaliation.

Sad to know that no one has been fired for such incompetent planning!

I totally agree, which is why I said the defensive measures have been poorly planned. Sending a strike package of 24 jets is a pretty bold move by PAF and even Indians on defence forums anticipated that PAF would be pressurized to retaliate. I wonder how the planners missed that

More importantly, after the Mi-17 was downed by our own Spyder SAM - we haven't seen any concrete action on the personnel responsible

Well I was reading one account which states that IAF AWACs were monitoring Pakistani airspace when Balakot strike was happening

Yeah, but only the Netra AWACS, not the Phalcons since they were deployed elsewhere

https://www.ndtv.com/india-news/iaf...ra-guided-mirage-2000-jets-to-balakot-1999729