Cavalier India Defence Training Academy

In a major boost for the surveillance capabilities of Indian Air Force along the borders with China and Pakistan, DRDO is making six new ‘Made in India’ planes. These would be built on passenger aircraft flying with Air India. In a major boost for the surveillance capabilities of Indian Air Force along the borders with China and Pakistan, DRDO is making six new ‘Made in India’ planes. These would be built on passenger aircraft flying with Air India. “As per the plans the six new aircraft would be made in India by the DRDO and would be provided to the Air Force in the Rs 10,500 crore project which is expected to be cleared soon at the topmost level.” The six new aircraft would be known as the Airborne Early Warning and Control Block 2 planes that would be better equipped than their predecessor NETRA plane and provide 360-degree coverage deep inside the enemy territory during missions, said officials. To build the AEW&C system on the existing aircraft from the Air India fleet, th...

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 bi...