In recent years India has been shifting toward aircraft that would give
it the ability to patrol and act at extended ranges. In January 2004,
India and Israel signed a $1.1 billion contract for 3 Phalcon airborne
warning and control system (AWACS) aircraft, as part of a $1.5 billion
tripartite agreement with Russia. With the arrival of its first IL-76
Phalcon, India joined the global ranks of AWACS operators. The aircraft
will monitor huge swathes of Indian airspace, intercept communications
and log radar frequencies, add some ground surveillance, and help
command IAF responses.
At the same time, India moved to implement AWACS capabilities on a 2nd,
smaller, platform, in order to provide broader coverage. The goal there
is to field a Tier 2 platform based on Embraer’s ERJ-145 jet, and Indian
radar and electronics, allowing India to join the global ranks of AWACS
designers. Just to make things interesting, their arch-rival Pakistan
offers a contrasting case study, with quicker fielding of off-the shelf
buys from China (Y-8 based ZDK-03) and Sweden (Saab 2000 Erieye).
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