Skip to main content

More ‘Eyes In Sky’ For IAF: India To Acquire Two More Phalcon Airborne Early Warning Systems From Israel

Israeli manufactured ‘Phalcon’ AWACS aircraft of the Indian Air Force. (Pic by Michael Sender/Wikipedia)
In a move to bolster the Indian Air Force’s (IAF) surveillance capabilities, India is going to sign the long pending deal to acquire two additional Israeli-made PHALCON airborne early warning and control systems (AWACS) aircraft from Israel,

The deal valued at around $1 billion presently, was derailed at least a couple of times in the past due to the high costs involved.

The report quotes several highly placed sources as stating that the Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) is all set to give its final nod to the deal after extensive inter-ministerial consultations.


The deal would entail acquisition of the two AWACS, with the Israeli PHALCON early-warning radar system mounted on Russian Ilyushin-76 heavy-lift aircraft, which will be delivered in three to four years.

The two new Phalcons will add to the existing three Phalcon AWACS acquired by IAF between 2009-2011 under a $1.1 billion deal inked by India, Israel and Russia in 2004. However, the new aircraft would be more advanced than the older phalcon aircraft.

The Phalcons are powerful “eyes in the sky” which can detect and track incoming fighters, cruise missiles and drones much before ground-based radars meanwhile directing defence assets to tackle any breach of air space.

The decision to procure more such surveillance aircraft is being felt due to the fact that Pakistan already has seven such aircraft in service, while the IAF only has five.

Post-Balakot, Pakistan was able to cover its territory with round-the-clock AWACS surveillance, while India could only have AWACS up for 12 hour stretches at the northern and western borders.

The Israeli-built PHALCON system comes equipped with a high-tech Green Pine radar system, which has a range of 300 to 500 kilometres. The same aircraft was used to direct operations against a Pakistani squadron in Nowshera on 27 February.

On the other hand, Pakistan Air Force has at its disposal three SAAB-2000 and four Shaanxi Y-8 turbo-prop AWACS. The SAAB aircraft have altitude limitations due to the use of turbo-prop engines.

Source:swarajya
Labels:
Location: bendre layout, Gubbi cross, DR Bendre Layout, Kothanur, Bengaluru, Karnataka 560077, India

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Top 10 Best Sainik Schools In India as per NDA Selection

In this article you will get to know about Best Sainik Schools in India, Best Sainik School of India and top 10 Sainik schools in India When India became independent, most of the officers in the defense at that time used to come from elite families. To rectify the regional and class imbalance amongst the Officer cadre of the India Military, V.K Krishna Menon came up with the idea of Sainik Schools. The idea was to prepare students for Entry in the NDA. In Sainik Schools, deserving students can get high-quality education irrespective of their income or class background. The mission of Sainik schools is to prepare the cadets academically, physically, and mentally to enter the portals of the NDA. Today there are 33 Sainik schools running and proposed for future covering all the states of the country. But it has always been a topic of discussion that which of these is the best Sainik School school in India. Why do children take admission in Sainik Schools?  So that they can become offi...
Post a Comment
Read more

Explained: What is Army Aviation Corps, the youngest Corps of the Indian Army

A look at the Army Aviation Corps’ history and its relevance in modern day battlefields, including in Counter Insurgency and Counter Terrorism (CI-CT) operations. Representative Image The Army Aviation Corps (AAC), the youngest Corps of the Indian Army, celebrated its 35th Corps Day on November 1. We take a look at the arm that adds an air dimension to the Army’s capabilities, its history, and its relevance in modern day battlefields, including Counter Insurgency and Counter Terrorism (CI-CT) operations. The roots of Army Aviation Corps The origin of the AAC can be traced back to the raising of the Army Aviation wing of the Royal Air Force in India in 1942, and the subsequent formation of the first Indian Air Observation Post in August 1947. The Air Observation Post units primarily acted as artillery spotters – which are the elements that help the artillery in directing the fire and also giving air support to ground forces. In the wars of 1965 and 1971, the Air Observation Post helicop...
Post a Comment
Read more

That time when India took half of Pakistan to make it pay for a motorcycle

In 1947, British officer Yahya Khan offered his colleague 1,000 rupees for his spiffy red motorcycle. His colleague, Sam Manekshaw, agreed. But before Khan could pay, he was off to what was going to become Pakistan. The British split its Indian colony, and things on the subcontinent have been pretty tense ever since. To top it all off, Yahya Khan didn't pay for the motorbike. But he would, even if it took almost 25 years. The Partition of India was much more than the splitting of the British Raj into two independent states. It was a catastrophic split that tore apart the country and created millions of refugees, cost millions of lives, and split the armed forces of the country in two, all based on religion. Violence erupted almost immediately between the two groups on such a large scale that much of it has never been forgotten or forgiven. Animosity continued between both sides for decades, and the two have fought war after war because of the myriad issues left unaddressed. By 1970...
Post a Comment
Read more