The Indian air force’s plans to increase its airborne early warning and control (AEW&C) fleet have passed an important bureaucratic milestone.
Plans to obtain new AEW&C aircraft have received an Acceptance of Necessity (AoN) from New Delhi’s powerful Defence Acquisition Council, according to the country’s defence ministry.
“For the Indian Air Force, [an] AoN for the procurement of AEW&C systems was accorded by [the Defence Acquisition Council],” says the ministry.
“AEW&C systems are capability enhancers which can change the complete spectrum of warfare and exponentially increase the combat potential of every other weapon system.”
An AoN is the Defence Acquisition Council’s initial approval, confirming a genuine operational need for proposed defence equipment. As the first step in the procurement process it validates the requirement before further stages, such as requests for proposals, bid evaluations, and contract negotiations.
The AEW&C AoN is part of a broader issue of AoNs that cover INR540 billion ($6.5 billion) in acquisitions that will also see the army receive upgraded tank engines and the navy a new type of torpedo.
While the ministry did not mention the number of AEW&C aircraft to be obtained or the type, Indian media report that New Delhi is looking to obtain 12 aircraft.
Six of these will be ‘Netra’ aircraft based on the Embraer ERJ-145 regional jet. The Indian air force already operates three such aircraft, equipped with a locally developed radar array.
In addition, the Defence Research Development Organisation aims to convert six Airbus A321s into AEW&C aircraft with the addition of a plank array above the fuselage.
The Indian air force has just six AEW&C aircraft: the three ERJ-145-based Netra aircraft, and three Ilyushin Il-76-based A-50Es.
