On Valentine's Day, IAF will have new eye in sky 'AEW&C'

Bengaluru: India will join an elite club of four nations with the capability to design, make and hand over an Airborne Early Warning & Control (AEW&C) system to the air strike wing on February 14.

Dr S Christopher, Director General, DRDO told the media here the indigenous AEW&C was developed at a cost of Rs 2,400 crores, including infrastructure and three Embraer-145 aircraft procured from Brazil.

These AEW&C aircraft  have an active electronically scanned array (AESA) primary radar with IFF (identification of Friend or Foe), ESM (Electronic Support Measures) and CSM (Communications Support Measures) ability and data links to network with combat jets, ground based control systems, and SATCOM (Satellite Communication System). The aircraft are also fitted with a comprehensive self-defence suite.

He said a more advanced version, the AWACS (Airborne Warning and Control System), will be approved by the defence acquisition council (DAC) later this month for development of eight aircraft, with the entire programme likely to cost Rs 10,000 crores.

The induction of AEW&C will be a moment of pride for engineers and scientists of DRDO of Bengaluru, for it will be the second aircraft after ‘Tejas’ to join the IAF fleet within a year.  

Meanwhile, recognizing the immense potential in unmanned air vehicles (UAVs), Dr Christopher said DRDO will draw up a policy document on the unmanned capability to be provided for the armed forces.

“Unmanned vehicles are going to be the order of the day, as a matter of fact that is the policy of DRDO in the future, and we are making a policy document 2020. What should be the unmanned capability that we must provide for our services," he said adding with the marriage of software expertise, and production capability of companies supported by 'Make in India' unmanned vehicles should be created.

He said in May, an exhibition or a competition would be held for students to harness and bring out the knowledge that is existing all over the country and the good would will be nurtured and supported.

About the Technology Development Fund that has been newly created under which private firms can be supported up to Rs 10 crore, willing to work on the requirement floated by DRDO for designing and developing a new idea, he said most of them who are coming up for this are in the unmanned area.

Announcing that Rustom-II, the country’s indigenously developed long-endurance combat-capable drone has successfully completed its maiden flight, he “we will continue to work on that and see that hopefully next year or this year end, it comes to the induction stage.”