Embraer-based airborne warning system reaches India
August 23rd, 2012 - 10:32 pm ICT by IANSNew Delhi, Aug 23 (IANS) India’s first indigenous Airborne Early Warning and Control (AEW&C;) system based on a fully-modified Embraer aircraft has reached Bangalore from Brazil, ahead of integration of DRDO-developed mission systems and flight trials.
The indigenous AEW&C; will enable the nation to deploy an alternative electronic eye in the sky to the three Il-76 based Phalcon radars the Indian Air Force (IAF) operates.
The Embraer-based platform landed at the Centre for Airborne Systems (CABS) late Wednesday night at the Hindustan Aeronautics Limited airport in the south Indian city, a Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) release said.
The aircraft was received by an enthusiastic crowd from CABS, its work centres, Centre for Military Airworthiness and Certification (CEMILAC) and IAF personnel.
The aircraft and the flight crew was received by Dr. Christopher, the AEW&C; program director, and K. Tamil Mani, the chief executive of CEMILAC.
“The aircraft and its crew from IAF and the Brazilian plane manufacturer Embraer were given a hearty welcome with water cannons,” the DRDO release said.
The acceptance of the aircraft was completed over a period of 15 days at Embraer facilities in Brazil by a team from CABS, CEMILAC, Directorate General of Air Quality Assurance and IAF.
The aircraft has been flagged off from Embraer facilities in Brazil on Aug 17 by DRDO Chief Controller of Research and Development G. Elangovan.
The aircraft, ferrying several mission systems external components of DRDO, including the Active Electronically Scanned Array Antenna with passive electronics, was flown by IAF pilots and crew across multiple continents to India.
“The arrival of this aircraft marks the beginning of another phase of journey leading to the next major milestone of integration of the DRDO developed mission system, which will be followed by development flight trials in India beginning of 2013,” the release said.
This is the first of the three aircraft delivered by Embraer for which the contract was signed in 2008. The next plane in the series is expected to arrive in India in December.
The country also plans to have a fleet of 10 indigenous AEW&Cs; in the future to augment the IL-76 platforms.
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Tags: airborne systems, array antenna, chief controller, defence research, development flight, development organisation, directorate general, dr christopher, electronic eye, enthusiastic crowd, external components, eye in the sky, flight crew, flight trials, hearty welcome, hindustan aeronautics, indian air force, passive electronics, phalcon, water cannons