Know more about Indian Air Force's new 'eye-in-the-sky' Phalcon

New Delhi: In recent years India has been shifting toward an 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 has to monitor huge swathes of Indian airspace, intercept communications and log radar frequencies, add some ground surveillance, and help command IAF responses. By 2012 India announced that it wanted to follow up on that procurement with native capabilities.In parallel, India has moved to implement AWACS capabilities on a smaller platform, in order to provide broader aircraft coverage of its territory. 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.Now India is bringing its new and more developed AWACS(Airborne Warning and Control System).Which will enable the Indian Air Force (IAF) look up to 400 km into Pakistan and China while remaining in the safety of its own airspace is under development.To leverage the experience and expertise gained in the design and development of Airborne Early Warning and Control Systems, a project proposal for indigenous development of India AWACS by the Defense Research and Development Organization was approved by the Cabinet Committee on Security on Feb. 12, 2013.The radar, the key element of the AWACS, will be a rotating rotodome with electronic scanning, and as the space requirements for the equipment are considerable, DRDO was looking at either the Boeing-767 or Airbus A- 330 as the platform.According to the reports the AWACS will be available to Indian Air Force by 2020.India already has AWACS aircraft under development using the Russian IL-76 platform and the Israeli Phalcon Radar, and three in service. The IAF is aiming to induct and operate as many as 15 AWACS systems, including aircraft under the just-announced indigenous program.India last year received new Airborne Early Warning & Control systems mounted on Brazilian Embraer aircraft, which will be inducted into the IAF in April 2014.In the New AWACS the radar being developed by DRDO will have both physical rotation and electronic rotation of the radar waves.This new AWACS will have the capability to penetrate “longer distances” enemy territory by way of radars and electronic warfare systems.