After the induction of three AWACS (Airborne Warning & Control Systems) in the Indian Air Force this year, India is poised to leap as a formidable AirPower as the AWACS would give it's forces a distinct edge over rival airforces.The AWACS inducted by India were the Israeli Phalcon radar mounted on an IL76 Aircraft which is a heavy Russian Transport Aircraft.
Pakistan is apprehensive of the IAF AWACS. The news and review of a Retd. Air Marshal of the PAF on the threat by 2 Russian Awacs (Beriev A-50 AWAC) which was acquired in the year 2000 by the IAF can be found here: click here to view the post.
India is in the process of developing it's own Airborne Early Warning and Control System (AEW&CS) which is being developed by DRDO for the IAF. Details of the program can be found here on Wikipedia site and also on this article on The Hindu newspaper. Another interesting piece of article can be found here from the Frontier magazine.
Apart form the two Beriev A-50 AWACS, the latest Phalcon AWACS form Israel have surely enhanced the airspace security and operational capability of the IAF.
The Phalcon is an Israeli built radar system that is built on an ELTA EL/M-2075 AESA L Band Radar which has ELINT/COMINT systems too. The IAF Phalcon built on IL76 platform has a conventional radome on the top of the aircraft like a flat pan. The Radome will not be a rotating one, it would be static as the ELTA radar has a wide angle (360 degree) tracking & scanning area.
The AWACS are an advanced radar system that complement the ground based radars that the nation currently has on it's borders and other vital installations. However the traditional ground radars have some inherent shortcomings like inability to operate beyond the line of sight and horizon, etc., An AWAC system takes care of all the problems and is a force multiplier to any country's defences. Pakistan too is trying to induct the Swedish SAAB AWACS along with Chinese variants and will be looking to neutralize the threat by the Phalcon Radars.
