India joins elite club of nations with AWACS capability

New Delhi, May 28 (PTI) India Thursday joined an elite
club of nations when it inducted the first of the three AWACS
systems that will help the air force detect incoming missiles
and enemy aircraft that may take off from across the border.

Expected to substantially enhance India's capability to
keep an eye on enemy activities in air, land and the sea, the
Airborne Warning And Control System (AWACS) bought from Israel
was formally handed over to the IAF's newly-formed Agra-based
50 Squadron at a brief ceremony here.

Symbolically, Indian Defence Minister A K Antony handed
over a key to Air Chief Marshal Fali Homi Major at the Palam
air base here.

"This is a historic day for both the Air Force and the
country that will enhance the national security apparatus.
AWACS have been a long-standing operational requirement and
much-needed for the IAF's modernisation process," Antony told
a gathering of diplomats, bureaucrats and IAF officers at the
induction ceremony here.

AWACS is described as "an eye in the sky" because of its
capability to carry out surveillance at about 400-km range
under all-weather situation and to lock on to 60 targets
simultaneously.

AWACS has a 360-degree phased array radar mounted on to
the heavylift IL-76 transport aircraft airframe and would
provide the much-required battlespace situational awareness
for the IAF for its tactical and strategic operations.

So far, only the US, Russia, Israel, China, United
Kingdom, France and Australia have the system operational in
their air forces, and its induction has propelled IAF into
that major league.

"The AWACS induction has increased the IAF's response
system and we had foreseen that future air operations will be
conducted at a very high tempo and this requires real-time
control of our combat assets.

"A potent force multiplier, it will enable robust
decision-making cycle of the air force. It will be a vital
component of IAF's combat potential," Major said at the
ceremony.

Major said being the first of the three AWACS, India had
bought from Israel in a USD 1.1 billion deal in 2004, its
operations will help the IAF in assessing future requirements
of the system to cover the vast expanse of the country.

"We are using this asset for the first time and it will
take us a while before we know how many more we require. But
seeing the expanse of our country we will need more of these,"
he said during a media interaction.

The AWACS would also be an important part of IAF's future
communication network, providing direct data link to both
airborne and static assets on the ground, he said.

The IAF has already initiated the Air Force Network
(AFNET) project to be integrated with the Integrated Air
Command and Control System (IACCS) and Operational Data Link
(ODL).

With its induction, IAF's frontline fighter jets such as
Su-30MKI, Mirage-2000s and Jaguars would now be backed by the
AWACS to provide a data loop and intelligence much beyond
visual range that would speed up India's response systems to
conflict situations.

India and Israel are said to be in advanced negotiations
for the purchase of three more AWACS and once the six are
inducted into the IAF, these systems would be ultimately
linked to the country's first military satellite proposed to
be launched soon.

This would take the IAF into the next step in its efforts
to become a network-centric force that could pack a power
punch to its both offensive and defensive operations. PTI NCB
PMR
NNNN




The information contained in this electronic message and any attachments to this
message are intended for the exclusive
use of the addressee(s) and may contain proprietary, confidential or privileged
information. If you are not the intended
recipient, you should not disseminate, distribute or copy this e-mail. Please
notify the sender immediately and destroy
all copies of this message and any attachments contained in it.