IAF Seeks 6 Indigenous AEW&C Systems with 360° Radar and 8+ Hour Endurance to Boost Air Defence

The Indian Ministry of Defence (MoD) has announced a significant step towards modernizing its air defense capabilities with the release of a Request for Information (RFI) for six Airborne Early Warning and Control (AEW&C) systems. This move signals India's commitment to enhancing surveillance and threat response mechanisms in the face of evolving security challenges.

The MoD is seeking proposals from registered Indian vendors for these sophisticated systems, which are designed to provide comprehensive situational awareness and long-range radar detection. The AEW&C systems will be a critical component of the Indian Air Force's (IAF) network-centric operations, enabling real-time data integration and effective battle management.

According to the RFI, the AEW&C system must be based on a modified jet aircraft capable of sustained high-altitude operation, with an endurance of over eight hours and air-to-air refueling capabilities. The aircraft must also be able to operate from airfields at high elevations.

At the heart of the system is a powerful Active Electronically Scanned Array (AESA) radar with 360-degree coverage. This advanced radar technology will allow the IAF to detect and track a wide range of airborne targets, from large aircraft to small unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) and helicopters, even at long ranges and varying altitudes. The radar will also include specialized modes for ground surveillance and tracking hypersonic threats.

In addition to the radar, the AEW&C system will feature electronic surveillance measures (ESM), missile warning systems, and countermeasure systems to protect against potential threats. The system will be integrated with the IAF's existing data links and C2 network, ensuring seamless information sharing and coordinated responses.

The MoD has emphasized the importance of indigenous technology in this procurement. While the RFI does not mandate a fully indigenous system, vendors are encouraged to propose solutions with significant Indian content, aligning with the 'Make in India' initiative.

The procurement process will adhere to the Defence Acquisition Procedure (DAP) 2020, with an anticipated delivery timeline of 36 to 60 months after the contract is awarded. This acquisition represents a major investment in India's defense infrastructure and underscores the country's focus on maintaining a cutting-edge and responsive air defense network.

While the RFI does not specify the aircraft platform, the requirements suggest a need for an aircraft with greater endurance than the Airbus A320, which currently forms the basis for India's existing Netra AEW&C system. The new system will also feature a more advanced 4D AESA radar, compared to the 3D radar on the Netra. This indicates a significant leap forward in capability for the IAF.

 

[Radha Ramanan]

The only vendor is CABS.Its a desi design . The 360 degree requirement is not there as of now. There is no recent pic of the rotodome equipped in the Aero india exhibition on a A319 platform .They have the same radar configuration as he EMB-145. There is also a radar in the nose to cover the front hemisphere as well. The complexities of testing a rotodome and structural problems added with the tragic experience of the rotodome equipped avro crash which claimed the lives of valuable test pilots and engineers. The rotodome has been manufactured some time ago By Lakshmi machine works in Coimbatore Tamil nad some time ago.

A319 series aircraft will be the platform, CABS has already started work on the platform including the bigger GAN based AESA radar for it. Obviously as india is not the OEM Airbus, is doing the modifications. The other requirements listed are common for all awacs. The added extra radar mode seems to be the ground surveillance with MTI capability giving it a ISAR capability.

All ISAR platforms like the UK Sentinel made by raytheon and JSTAR made by northrop gruman work on the X band frequencies. The desi EMB-145 awacs works on the S band , so its perplexing how both modes are going to be done by the same radar. The X band is necessary for finer resolution of ground targets in the SAR mode. The UTAM radar works on the X band. So the A319 awacs will have a 240 degree coverage on the sides with a 90 degree coverage on the front. So total coverage will be about 340 degrees . The IAF seems fine with that.

The only other solution to have a SAR radar on the awacs is to have an underbelly elongated radome like the JSTARS operating in the X band

 

[Sandeep]

India is currently developing and carrying out the modifications for the indigenous AWACS on 6 A321 planes. All of the technology except for the plane will be indigenously developed and manufactured which is good news.

Hopefully these AWACS will be the last one to use a foreign platform as we need to develop our own planes if we want to become self reliant.

At the same time we should also be researching and developing the next generation of enhanced AWACS. These are complex systems and take time to develop properly. We need more AWACS than what we currently have but the main cost and expense is buying the platform and having it modified with our technology and equipment which can only be done with the help of airbus itself. On top of that these planes will be in service for the next 30-40 years and for any future upgrades or for spares, maintenance, parts, engines and servicing it will be expensive as well which is why it’s important to develop our AWACS 100% indigenously with indigenous content only.

 

[Anant]

India is currently developing and carrying out the modifications for the indigenous AWACS on 6 A321 planes. All of the technology except for the plane will be indigenously developed and manufactured which is good news.

Hopefully these AWACS will be the last one to use a foreign platform as we need to develop our own planes if we want to become self reliant.

At the same time we should also be researching and developing the next generation of enhanced AWACS. These are complex systems and take time to develop properly. We need more AWACS than what we currently have but the main cost and expense is buying the platform and having it modified with our technology and equipment which can only be done with the help of airbus itself. On top of that these planes will be in service for the next 30-40 years and for any future upgrades or for spares, maintenance, parts, engines and servicing it will be expensive as well which is why it’s important to develop our AWACS 100% indigenously with indigenous content only.

While an indigenous aircraft would be good, it also isn't happening. 360 degree radomes are quite large, and so won't fit on something like a A320 even. A larger aircraft is something we can't afford to work on at the moment.

That said, it would be worthwhile to look into the next generation of AWACS aircraft once the Netra Mk 1s do come up foe retirement. The IAF has a stated need for 18 AWACS, and with the Netra Mk 1As, Netra Mk 2s, and these six airxeadr, that would be met. However, should that expand to the proposed 24-25 aircraft, then we would need more aircraft.

An idea for these might be to potentially integrate a 300 degree coverage beam radar system on the RTA, as we do seem to be moving towards that overpriced project.

 

[Anant]

A319 series aircraft will be the platform, CABS has already started work on the platform including the bigger GAN based AESA radar for it. Obviously as india is not the OEM Airbus, is doing the modifications. The other requirements listed are common for all awacs. The added extra radar mode seems to be the ground surveillance with MTI capability giving it a ISAR capability.

All ISAR platforms like the UK Sentinel made by raytheon and JSTAR made by northrop gruman work on the X band frequencies. The desi EMB-145 awacs works on the S band , so its perplexing how both modes are going to be done by the same radar. The X band is necessary for finer resolution of ground targets in the SAR mode. The UTAM radar works on the X band. So the A319 awacs will have a 240 degree coverage on the sides with a 90 degree coverage on the front. So total coverage will be about 340 degrees . The IAF seems fine with that.

Part of the reason for the loss of that AWACS we made using the HS 748 was that the aircraft was found to be a tad small for the radome. Having looked at pictures, that was definitely the case.

Part of the reason we haven't gone with a rotating radome on smaller aircraft is because they are quite large, and even fitting that on something akin to a A321 would be very difficult, potentially even requiring structural inserts and modifications.

 

[Radha Ramanan]

Part of the reason for the loss of that AWACS we made using the HS 748 was that the aircraft was found to be a tad small for the radome. Having looked at pictures, that was definitely the case.

Part of the reason we haven't gone with a rotating radome on smaller aircraft is because they are quite large, and even fitting that on something akin to a A321 would be very difficult, potentially even requiring structural inserts and modifications.

The actual reason was later found out that the bolts that were responsible for fixing the vertical structures to the rotodome had broken off due to metal fatigue and caused great asymmetry in the aerodynamic characteristics of the aircraft leading to an un controlled crash. Though tragic there were some knowledge gained about the airflow characteristics of a rotodome

 

[Sandeep]

While an indigenous aircraft would be good, it also isn't happening. 360 degree radomes are quite large, and so won't fit on something like a A320 even. A larger aircraft is something we can't afford to work on at the moment.

That said, it would be worthwhile to look into the next generation of AWACS aircraft once the Netra Mk 1s do come up foe retirement. The IAF has a stated need for 18 AWACS, and with the Netra Mk 1As, Netra Mk 2s, and these six airxeadr, that would be met. However, should that expand to the proposed 24-25 aircraft, then we would need more aircraft.

An idea for these might be to potentially integrate a 300 degree coverage beam radar system on the RTA, as we do seem to be moving towards that overpriced project.

With the AWACS it can be possible to install it on the narrow plane. It comes down to how large the radome is and how heavy it is and what materials are used. Also we can try and develop one without using a radome as other militaries have done the same even if we have to sacrifice some degree of coverage.

As for developing our own indigenous planes it’s something that we need to do. We can’t keep importing expensive planes for civil or military purposes. We need to start from the beginning and build our own capabilities if we want to do this 100% indigenously without any foreign expensive imports.

 

[Anant]

The actual reason was later found out that the bolts that were responsible for fixing the vertical structures to the rotodome had broken off due to metal fatigue and caused great asymmetry in the aerodynamic characteristics of the aircraft leading to an un controlled crash. Though tragic there were some knowledge gained about the airflow characteristics of a rotodome

Correct, ma'am. However, the vertical structures holding the rotodome in place were also not optimal for the role on an aircraft of that size.

 

[Anant]

With the AWACS it can be possible to install it on the narrow plane. It comes down to how large the radome is and how heavy it is and what materials are used. Also we can try and develop one without using a radome as other militaries have done the same even if we have to sacrifice some degree of coverage.

As for developing our own indigenous planes it’s something that we need to do. We can’t keep importing expensive planes for civil or military purposes. We need to start from the beginning and build our own capabilities if we want to do this 100% indigenously without any foreign expensive imports.

We already have a beam-design 300 degree coverage system in the works, and this is to be installed on the A321 AWACS. The IAF is now issuing RFIs for 360 degree radar AWACS, which needs a radome anyways. That will also need a large aircraft.