India Receives First Phalcon-Equipped AWACS

India Receives First Phalcon-Equipped AWACS (NSI News Source Info) NEW DELHI - January 15, 2009: With relations between India and Pakistan on the downside after the Nov. 26 Mumbai terror attacks, the Indian air force has received the first of three Airborne Warning and Control System (AWACS) aircraft from Israel ahead of schedule. (Photo/Image: Courtesy Taxpayer)

In March 2004, Israel and India signed a US$1.1 billion deal according to which IAI would deliver the Indian Air Force three Phalcon AEW&C radar systems. India signed a separate deal with the Ilyushin Corporation of Russia for the of supply three Il-76 A-50 heavy air-lifters, which were to be used as platforms for these radar systems, for an additional US$500 million. In November 2007, Indian defense officials said that there were significant delays in the supply of the Russian Il-76 platform and the induction of the radar was now postponed to 2009-10. In June 2008, media reports suggested that India and Israel were about to sign a deal for three additional Phalcon radars. the first model has been acquired by India on Jan 12th 2009, where it has brief stopover at Delhi, where it was visited by Top IAF officals and later flew to Agra, where it would be based along with the other 2 ordered models. Air force sources said the first of the aircraft, fitted with an Israeli Phalcon radar on a Russian Il-76 aircraft, was expected by March, but arrived from Israel on Jan. 11. It is currently based at Agra Air Force station, near here. Under the $1.1 billion deal signed in March 2004, three Israeli early warning radar and communication systems are to be integrated with the Ilyushin heavy military transport plane to give India AWACS capabilities. The deliveries were to begin in November 2007, then later postponed to the end of 2008 and then to March 2009, sources said. The Israeli Phalcon AWACS will enable the Indian air force to carry out tactical surveillance over a radius of 400 kilometers and collect surface target information deep inside Pakistan while still operating in Indian airspace. The AWACS are later to be networked to other air force assets through a dedicated satellite. India also is developing its own AWACS through the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), which signed a deal in July for the purchase of EMB-145 aircraft from Embraer of Brazil to be used as the AWACS platform. Three EMB-145 aircraft are to be modified and carry the Active Array Antenna Unit, developed by DRDO, on the aircraft's fuselage. Currently, the tactical surveillance job is being carried out by a variety of Israeli-made UAVs.