India to build two next-generation AWACS for Rs 5,113 crore

NEW DELHI: The government on Saturday cleared the DRDO project to build advanced "eyes in the sky" or next-generation AWACS (airborne warning and control systems), which can detect incoming aerial threats like hostile fighters, drones and cruise missiles from 400-km away.

The Manohar Parrikar-led defence acquisitions council (DAC) approved the building of two AWACS, which will involve mounting indigenous 360-degree coverage AESA (active electronically scanned array) radars on Airbus A-330 wide-body jets, at a cost of Rs 5,113 crore.

The eventual plan is to induct eight such aircraft under the "AWACS-India" project since both China and Pakistan are well ahead of India in this critical area in modern-day warfare, as was reported by TOI earlier.

"It will take at least 5-7 years to build the first two AWACS. Six more AWACS will be ordered when the project is mid-way," said a source. The decision, incidentally, comes ahead of PM Narendra Modi's visit to France and Germany, which primarily house the European Airbus consortium, in early-April.

The DAC also approved the Army's Rs 1,605 crore acquisition of 30 weapon-locating radars from defence PSU Bharat Electronics and the Rs 710 crore order for 1,512 mine-ploughs for the T-90S main-battle tanks from Bharat Earth Movers Ltd.

But the controversial Ravi Rishi-owned Vectra Group, which acted as the go-between in the supply of all-terrain heavy Tatra trucks to India, was "dropped" from the list of five vendors in contention to supply 220 truck-mounted lifting devices (TMLD) for Rs 24 crore.

While easing blacklisting norms from the earlier indiscriminate blanket bans, Parrikar had earlier made it clear that "a restricted no-objection certificate" had been issued to BEML to deal with the original Czech-owned Tatra company. The armed forces have inducted over 7,000 Tatra trucks through BEML tie-ups with other companies based in UK and elsewhere.

But the clear takeaway from the DAC was the AWACS project, where a single-vendor situation had emerged. "Airbus was the only aviation major ready for the design and development project. It will involve structural and electrical changes to the A-330 aircraft...the airframe will have to be cut to fit the radar dome on the top," said a source.

The "AWACS-India" project, with 80%:20% cost sharing between IAF and DRDO, is far more ambitious than the ongoing project to build three AEW&C (airborne early warning and control system) systems at a cost of Rs 2,275 crore. Under it, indigenous 240-degree coverage radars have been fitted on three smaller Brazilian Embraer-145 jets.

"The AEW&C project is running years behind schedule, with the completion date now pushed back to December 2015. But it will help in the larger AWACS project. Then, of course, the case for procurement of two more Israeli Phalcon AWACS after the induction of the three is now in the final stages," said the source.