Indian AWACS Reloaded: Competition For 6 Aircraft Announced

[RPK]

Livefist: Indian AWACS Reloaded: Competition For 6 Aircraft Announced


A six-aircraft AWACS fleet for the Indian Air Force is now properly under way. After formal project sanction a year ago, the Centre for Airborne Systems (CABS) has opened a global competition to supply six aircraft that will be suitably modified as part of the competition, to support the AWACS role -- principally a 10-metre antenna radome.

The development runs parallel to the in-progress three aircraft DRDO AEW&C programme, based on the ERJ 145 business jet. The Indian Air Force currently operates three Il-76-based PHALCON AWACS jets from its Agra station, with talks in progress for two more identical systems. The DRDO's last tryst with a conventional AWACS system ended in tragedy when the modified HS748 Avro based test aircraft crashed in southern India in January 1999 killing eight scientists and crew on board. The accident shelved the programme indefinitely, resurfacing many years later first as the DRDO-Embraer platform, and now the new proposed AWACS.

The DRDO hasn't specified what aircraft type it requires, but said it requires vendors to designing, structurally modify, certifying and supplying six aircraft llatforms for AWACS role. In addition, the winning vendor will be required to design and manufacture the AWACS 10-metre antenna dome, attachment (pylon) structure and dome installation.

DRDO will be looking to draw interest from vendors include Boeing, Saab, Airbus, UAC (Ilyushin, Antonov, Sukhoi), Bombardier and Dassault Aviation.

Stupefying, if you ask me: three aircraft platform types for largely the same mission. Inventory and support nightmare that goes against everything the IAF has been working for in terms of type commonality.

 

[Manvantaratruti]

Stupefying, if you ask me: three aircraft platform types for largely the same mission. Inventory and support nightmare that goes against everything the IAF has been working for in terms of type commonality.

We have not yet reached the stage where we can confidently go about planning for war with commonality as the primary criteria.

 

[jarves]

Stupefying, if you ask me: three aircraft platform types for largely the same mission. Inventory and support nightmare that goes against everything the IAF has been working for in terms of type commonality.

But the AWACS on Embraer platform doesnt give 360 degree coverage so we naturally need a bigger platform to put a bigger system which gives full 360 degree coverage or i am wrong??

 

[sancho]

But the AWACS on Embraer platform doesnt give 360 degree coverage so we naturally need a bigger platform to put a bigger system which gives full 360 degree coverage or i am wrong??

A no, you can have 360° coverage with such jets as the G550 Phalcon AWACS shows, B who says we need 360° detection? IAF will have 5 x A50 Phalcon AWACS with long range and 360° detection, what is needed from DRDO is an additional system that is cost-effective, can be procured in numbers to increased the overall coverage of our borderline air space. That is not possibly when IAF gets only 3 x EMB DRDO AWACS and at least the optional 3 should have been ordered as well. But DRDO didn't finished this development and is dreaming about the next one. In the meantime Indias defence capability is hampered, because they want to develop a bigger system like other world class competitors does.
The DRDO AWACS is mainly meant to fly alongside the border, with A50 Phalcons at overlapping flight path, so it's not the capability of a single aircraft in a certain area that is important, but a propper 24/7 coverage of the whole borderline, linked with each other!

 

[jarves]

. But DRDO didn't finished this development and is dreaming about the next one.

Thanks for replying,Werent we getting DRDO AWACS this year??
I thought we already got one and will get second one this year .

 

[sancho]

Thanks for replying,Werent we getting DRDO AWACS this year??
I thought we already got one and will get second one this year .

We have got the platforms, but afaik (unless I missed something in the last weeks), the radar system is still lacking. The one that was send to the Bharain air show still had a mock up and no operational radar integrated.

 

[indiatester]

We have got the platforms, but afaik (unless I missed something in the last weeks), the radar system is still lacking. The one that was send to the Bharain air show still had a mock up and no operational radar integrated.

Lacking in what way? I can see the bird pretty frequently at CABS. They seem to be working pretty hard. I don't know the inner details though.

 

[jarves]

Tarmak007 -- A bold blog on Indian defence: Prying plane begins shakedown flight trials | To be displayed during IAF Day parade at Hindon

"He said two AEW&C aircraft would be ready this year, adding, "By 2014, we will complete delivery of all the three aircraft (AEW&C) to Indian Air Force".
India takes up AWACS programme, can penetrate enemy territory - Brahmand.com

"It will be flying at the air show with actual radars and mission systems,"

“The indigenous mission systems, developed by the various DRDO labs have been installed in the aircraft."

"The installation of the mission systems in the second aircraft also is being carried out parallelly."


Tarmak007 -- A bold blog on Indian defence: Fully-loaded prying plane ready to fly at Aero India | AEW&CS flight trials to commence soon: CABS

@sancho So what do you think they have integrated the system with Aircraft or not??

 

[Skull and Bones]

But the AWACS on Embraer platform doesnt give 360 degree coverage so we naturally need a bigger platform to put a bigger system which gives full 360 degree coverage or i am wrong??

I believe they offer 270-300 degree coverage, and that is substantial enough given the operating costs are significantly lesser than Phalcons.

 

[jarves]

Some old but interesting links......
http://drdo.gov.in/drdo/pub/techfocul_2013_WEB.pdf

http://crisil.com/capital-markets/CRowave-2012.pdf

I believe they offer 270-300 degree coverage, and that is substantial enough given the operating costs are significantly lesser than Phalcons.

Yeah but senior members on other forums dispute this and say that it provides only 240 degree coverage.

 

[favabeans]

Why is there no indigenous manufacturer included in the bid?

 

[jarves]

Why is there no indigenous manufacturer included in the bid?

No company in the India has the technology or experience to make or manufacture such a plane that is needed for this project.

 

[sancho]

Lacking in what way? I can see the bird pretty frequently at CABS. They seem to be working pretty hard. I don't know the inner details though.

Do they have the real radar array, SATCOM and EW installed? Here is a pic from Feb, where it was displayed at the Bharain air show:

Obviously still only with mock ups of the radar, SATCOM and the EW sensors at the side. We also heared that IAF basically is doing flight testing of the "aircraft" to certify it for operations in IAF, but what we don't know is, how the fully integrated system performs, if it reliable enough and only when that is done it can be inducted into operational service.

Tarmak007 -- A bold blog on Indian defence: Prying plane begins shakedown flight trials | To be displayed during IAF Day parade at Hindon

"He said two AEW&C aircraft would be ready this year, adding, "By 2014, we will complete delivery of all the three aircraft (AEW&C) to Indian Air Force".
India takes up AWACS programme, can penetrate enemy territory - Brahmand.com

"It will be flying at the air show with actual radars and mission systems,"

“The indigenous mission systems, developed by the various DRDO labs have been installed in the aircraft."

"The installation of the mission systems in the second aircraft also is being carried out parallelly."


Tarmak007 -- A bold blog on Indian defence: Fully-loaded prying plane ready to fly at Aero India | AEW&CS flight trials to commence soon: CABS

@sancho So what do you think they have integrated the system with Aircraft or not??

The "mission systems", meaning computers, displays, operator stations in the aircraft, but I still didn't saw a single pic or video of the aircraft with all external sensors installed. But feel free to correct me!

 

[sancho]

Yeah but senior members on other forums dispute this and say that it provides only 240 degree coverage.

The 240° degree were confirmed by DRDO infos on specboards or borchures, more important however would be a performance confirmation of the detection range, after the radar is fully installed.
The detection to the front and aft areas is not that important, since overlapping flight paths with other AWACS should counter that, not to mention that these strategic assets should be escorted by IAF fighters as well, possibly even by MKIs.
Far more important is, to get at least 3 x AWACS flying on the eastern and the same on the western borders 24/7. What does it give us to have an aircraft as capable as the A50 Phalcon, when we don't have the needed numbers to cover the whole airspace? The blindspots of the airspace then logically are the far bigger problem, than the blindspots of the current DRDO AWACS, but sadly DRDO is not looking at what is important for the country. Adding more Embraer AWACS now as soon as possible and if needed, develop a AWACS version of MTA later with a rotodome would make much more sense, since we then would not only have an independent radar system, but also an independent platform!

 

[jarves]

@sancho In short DRDO has become a joke