Airborne Alert

Atul Chandra

The Indian Air Force (IAF) is likely to face a shortfall in its airborne early warning capability over the course of this decade as it waits for the Defence Research & Development Organisation (DRDO) to complete an ambitious Airborne Warning and Control System (AWACS) development programme. The IAF’s integrated perspective plan had envisaged the deployment of AWACS and AEW&C platforms but IAF now faces a critical gap in its airborne early warning capability. This is further exacerbated by the need for sufficient numbers of these assets to be located on its Western and Eastern borders. The IAF presently operates three Israeli Phalcon AWACS platforms along with two DRDO ‘Netra’ AEW&C aircraft.

DRDO-made Netra AEW&C

AWACS India Programme

DRDO’s efforts for development of critical airborne early warning capability for the IAF is less than optimal. Efforts  since the mid-eighties  resulted in only two operational AEW&C aircraft. The Centre for Airborne Systems (CABS) located in Bengaluru was originally established as the Airborne Surveillance, Warning and Control Centre (ASWAC) in 1985 to study the feasibility of developing an indigenous AWACS aircraft and was renamed as CABS in 1991. CABS proceeded to convert an H-748 Avro aircraft into a mini AWACS namely Airborne Surveillance Platform (ASP), which ended in disaster when the prototype aircraft was lost in a crash.

The DRDO, originally, was to have utilised the learnings from the indigenous AEW&C programme ‘Netra’ for the ‘AWACS India’ programme. To be developed on an Airbus A330 as the platform, the DRDO will now proceed with used A320 jet-liners donated by Air India. These aircraft will be modified for military use by Airbus in France. DRDO labs will use indigenously designed and developed systems which will be integrated on the A320 to provide on-board Command & Control and Early Warning for the IAF. The Rs10,500 crore project will deliver six AWACS aircraft to the IAF based on an A320 platform. This is more than double the original 2015 cost estimate of approximately Rs5000 crore for the more capable A330 based AWACS India aircraft. The A320 is a smaller single-aisle commercial jet liner and does not have a military derivative unlike the A330 which is a larger twin-aisle commercial jet liner, which is also available in a military variant as the A330 MRTT mid-air refueller. There would have be