30.3.15

AWACS-India


The government cleared a DRDO project to build advanced “eyes in the sky“, or next-generation AWACS (airborne warning and control systems), which can detect incoming aerial threats like hostile fighters, drones and cruise missiles from 400-km away .
The Manohar Parrikar-led defence acquisitions council (DAC) approved the building of two AWACS, which will involve mounting indigenous 360-degree coverage AESA (active electronically scanned array) radars on Airbus A-330 wide-body jets, at a cost of Rs.5,113 crore.
The eventual plan is to induct eight such aircraft under the “ AWACS-India“ project since both China and Pakistan are well ahead of India in this critical area in modern-day warfare. “It will take at least five-seven years to build the first two AWACS. Six more will be ordered when the project is midway ,“ said a source. The decision, incidentally, comes ahead of PM's visit to France and Germany , which primarily house the European Airbus consortium, in early-April.
The clear takeaway from the DAC was the AWACS project, where a single-vendor situation had emerged. “ Airbus was the only aviation major ready for the design and development project. It will involve structural and electrical changes to the A-330 aircraft...the airframe will have to be cut to fit the radar dome on the top,“ said a source

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