Govt approves ₹20,000 project to convert 6 former Air India planes into AWACS aircraft with next gen surveillance systems: Read how the ‘eyes in the sky’ will boost IAF capabilities
The Union government has granted approval for the production of next generation airborne early warning and control system, giving a much needed boost to the Indian Air Force. As per reports, IAF will get six AWACS aircraft under the project expected to cost around ₹20,000 crore. These command and control centres in the air will have the capabilities of tracking enemy aircraft and ground based threats at long distances, besides guiding IAF fighters during a battle.
These AWACS planes will be built on Airbus A321 planes bought by IAF from Air India. The Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) will partner with multiple Indian firms and Airbus to integrate a sophisticated radar antenna and related systems onto the A321 aircraft, which served as passenger planes in the past. The AWACS planes carry a big distictive radar antena above their fuselage.
These planes will undergo extensive structural modifications, including the installation of a dorsal radar fin, to enable full 360-degree radar coverage. The main component that will turn the planes into AWACS is Airborne Early Warning and Control System (AEW&CS), also known as Netra. The second generation of the system, Netra MK-II, will be installed on the A321 planes.
The conversion of the passenger jets will reportedly take place in a Airbus facility, either in France or Spain. Seats and everything related to commercial operations will be removed, the fuselage will be structurally strengthened to accommodate the heavy radar and sensor arrays. The active electronically scanned array (AESA) radar panels are big and heavy, and therefore structural modification is required.
Moreover, an auxiliary power unit will be installed to meet the increased power demand of the systems, the cockpit instrumentation will be overhauled to military specifications, and consoles will be installed in the belly for mission operators. The planes will get active noise cancellations systems for efficient operations.
This is a crucial move enhancing the Indian Air Force’s (IAF) operational reach, elevating India into an elite group of nations with indigenously developed airborne surveillance technology.
The AWACS project represents a major leap in indigenous defence capabilities. While it reinforces the spirit of the “Make in India” initiative, it also moves a step ahead by embracing “Design and Develop in India”, marking a shift from simple manufacturing to full-scale innovation and systems integration.
As per a report by The Economic Times, the estimated time of completion of the project is three years. After completion of the project, it will benefit India by giving Indian companies hands-on experience in developing and integrating complex systems.
AWACS: the eyes in the sky
The Netra MkII, part of the AWACS India programme spearheaded by DRDO, has gained fresh momentum following government approval for the prototype production of India’s fifth-generation Advanced Multirole Combat Aircraft (AMCA).
These aircraft effectively operate as battle managers and early warning systems, coordinating air fights, spotting impending threats and providing real-time intelligence to interceptors and command centres. Their primary functions are air defence command and control as well as long-range radar surveillance. They can detect, track and identify air and surface contacts over long distances because of their enormous radar dome.
In a notable shift, this marks the first instance of an Airbus platform being used for such a mission, an area traditionally dominated by Boeing. This strategic move could also open up potential export avenues in the future.
At present, the Indian Air Force operates smaller Netra airborne warning systems built on Brazilian Embraer 145 aircraft, which have demonstrated their effectiveness in past conflicts with Pakistan. The IAF also fields three IL-76-based ‘Phalcon’ systems, developed jointly with Israel and Russia, although these have faced recurring issues related to availability and technical reliability.
The government signalled to work on the indigenous project to build six AEWC air aircraft in 2021, which will act in modern warfare as powerful “eyes in the sky”, to bolster the IAF’s surveillance capability, especially along the borders with China and Pakistan.
The Cabinet Committee on Security on September 8, 2021, approved the project of DRDO, which will entail mounting indigenous 360-degree coverage AESA (active electronically scanned array) radars on six Airbus-321 passenger aircraft to be acquired from the existing Air India fleet.
TOI reported, the IAF felt the operational necessity for more such aircraft during the aerial skirmish with Pakistani fighters in February 2019 after the cross-border Balakot air-strikes. The recent attack at Pahalgam has further accentuated the need.
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