The Indian Air Force (IAF) will officially get the Airborne Warning and Control System (AWACS) platform on Thursday (May 28). The new system will help the IAF to detect intruders over sea and land at large distances. The AWACS comes with a wide range of capabilities including Electronic and Signal Intelligence gathering. India is one of the few countries that have inducted such type of system in their air forces. The IAF will be offered with two more AWACS by next year.

 

According to official sources, all the three AWACS will be based at Agra. During the special induction ceremony on Thursday, Defence Minister AK Antony will dedicate the AWACS to the nation. The Defence Minster informed that AWACS platform landed on Indian soil escorted by Mig-29 and Jaguar fighters at the IAF's Jamnagar airbase on Monday (May 25).

 

AWACS is an airborne radar system designed to detect aircraft. The introduction of this system will help IAF to enhance its operational capabilities. AWACS is a tripartite venture amongst India, Russia and Israel. After the setting up of AWACS platform along with the Operational Data Link (ODL), Integrated Air Command and Control System (IACCS) and the Air Force Net (AFNET), the Indian Air Force will enjoy an upper hand in terms of Net Centric Operations.