21.5.09

IAF's first Phalcon set to fly in



The first of India’s three Airborne Early Warning and Control Systems (AWACS), a Phalcon Israeli radar system mounted on a Russian IL-76 aircraft, will arrive in Agra this month and completely change the way the IAF functions.The other two Phalcons—Phased Array L-Band Conformal Radar—are expected next year.The Phalcon delivery is being tracked closely by military experts across the world, given the sheer increase in capability it will provide to the Indian armed forces. The “eye in the sky”, which is an airborne radar that can pick up enemy fighters, incoming missiles and even ground troop movements from a distance of over 400 km,will be a crucial force multiplier, one which will also allow the IAF to use lesser number of fighters for a variety of tasks.
Bought in a tri-nation $1.1 billion deal signed in 2004, this will be the first entry of AWACS in the region.While China is perfecting its own version of the system, Pakistan is importing a smaller system from Sweden,delivery of which is not expected before next year.What makes the AWACS so special is that it enables the airforce to monitor enemy movements at ranges of several hundred kilometres and deploy its own assets according to the need of the hour.Such is the capability of the system that India, for example, can now position a Phalcon over Srinagar to pick up objects flying near its consulate in Jalalabad in Afghanistan. At the heart of the system is the Israeli Phalcon phased array radar that can detect and monitor over 60 targets simultaneously. The allweather radar will be integrated with an Indian military satellite that is expected to be launched next year. Besides, it will also be integrated with the Israeli Aerostat radars that are already being operated by the IAF. What will come out, using the three systems, will be a comprehensive and real time “picture” of a war zone that can be used by military commanders to plan a response.Two AWACS flying in coordination with the Aerostat radars, for example, will be able to cover and detect movements at most Pakistani airbases from well within Indian airspace.With the IAF already grappling with a declining number of fighter squadrons, the AWACS will be a crucial force multiplier that will allow it to use its aircraft in a more rational and effective manner. The system will also extend the detection range of IAF fighters by sending across data on enemy fighters. In a war scenario, Indian fighters will not need to switch on their radars, which can give away their position to the enemy,till they get close enough relying on the AWACS data.The highly sensitive role of the AWACS also makes them most vulnerable to enemy action. Air Forces that operate the systems across the world generally cocoon their AWACS under multiple layers of defence.“In a battle, the first aim of the enemy will be to blind you by taking out the AWACS and other radar systems. This is kept in mind while planning the air defence system,” an IAF officer said.
While India will get three Phalcon AWACS as per the 2004 deal, the IAF has made it clear that it is keen to procure an additiona three as early as possible to cover both the Pakistan and China borders.But the considerable delay in delivery of the system will weigh heavily on IAF’ mind. The first AWACS system was to be delivered to India in December 2007 but was delayed due to problems in integrating the Israeli systems on theRussian aircraft.
India is also planning an indigenous system to produce a smaller version of the AWACS. The DRDO is working on a project to develop an Aerial EarlyWarning (AEW) System using Brazilian Embraer 145 jets The project, which hit a roadblock after a prototype crashed in 1999, is behind time but was revived recently after a $200-million deal was signed to procure three Embraer jets.

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