Isn't this the Airbus project ?
And anyway why would India import any AWAC's when Indian radar tech is now world class ?
By the time they get it into operation it'd be the 2040s & that's a big if . Arguably the whole concept of manned AEW&Cs would've undergone massive changes by then beginning with the manned part followed by the utility of such systems given the proliferation of space based ISR assets.
Sometimes I wonder what exactly goes on in the minds of those at Vayu Bhavan ? Do they undertake activities like this just to keep themselves occupied or to show people they're around & working ?
Wasn't there talks of ISTR development? Where that at?
Does netra project have 360° radar coverage? Cause last I read, only awecs we have with that is imported phalcoms.
The Netra projects are all dorsal fin radars.
I think this follow up one is the one they were talking about with putting a rotodome style radar one . I thought that project was dead though
I think that the 360° coverage, 4D radar equipped AWACS project is just the old 360° AWACS (on Airbus A330) project reborn. The requirement seems to stem from what I assume, the Phalcons. They are too few, and the platform is more of a hangar queen than the queen of the skies. They'll need to be replaced, and more capable 360° coverage AESA-equipped AWACS will be essential (along side space-based assets) to plug the holes in AEW/ISR capability.
Besides, AWACs are facing obsoletion with the advent of extremely long range missiles. China has already tested a 1000 km range BVRAAM, and even PAF will have either PL 17 or PL 21 sooner or later which will make IAF AWACs extremely vulnerable or ineffective.
Russia is no longer very keen on investing in A-50 after losses with Ukraine.
Same will apply to Aircraft carriers.
Awecs will always be important, just not in their current bulky form. But we still need indigenous AWECS cause then you can build better platforms on their successes and learning from their deficiencies while closing a critical gap. Plus, as the development takes place, if our industry and its a big if, comes up with breakthrough.. we can incorporate them or develop them simultaneously. By the time they come, we will have more economic flexibility to do those things.
While by 2040, bulky AWACS might be less desirable.. if we wait for some advanced platform.. it will push it into 2050s and that too imported.
A330-based AWACS India was envisaged as a dual role (radar+ in-flight refueling) platform. Seemed impractical right from the start. The cost would have been astronomical considering that Netra Mk2 comes in at a little under $400m a pop (Incidentally, that's how much we paid for each of our 3 Phalcon back in 2009)
Maybe the IAF is rationalizing its requirements/benchmarking global offerings with the new RfI. Ultimately, they will likely go with an optimized DRDO solution.
This guy is the i-d-r-w version of Twitter
Well hitting a large moving targets like AWACS over even 500 km will be a difficult feat, multiple ISR assets and hardened data links will be needed to detect classify target and communicate with the BVRM for course corrections. Sustaining data link over that range while contending with jamming, range difference speed etc is difficult even for China. So AWACS range definitely need to increase to improve survivability but they are not going to become obsolete for a while imo.
As for aircraft carriers people have been predicting their doom for decades, now we are seeing country with so called aircraft carrier killer getting into aircraft carrier development. Also not getting obsolete anytime soon.
Aircraft carriers are facing same things as tanks are facing.
In a way they have become very vunrable against a compentent enemy.
But those carrier killer missiles can't be used for power projection role.
So there's no alternative to aircraft carrier to fulfill the same role/need but the ways/method/weapons to decrease the effectiveness of a carrier are exponentially growing at a rate where defense is not keeping up atleast for now.
Similar things to what tanks are facing in this drone age.
And yes the threat chinese missiles create for American carriers is similar to the threat drones created for tank, not similar to the lesser extent threat created by anti tank missiles in 1980s
But again those missiles ain't gonna help china in power protection they will need a carrier.
Like how ukraine still wants tanks.
But Unless a radical innovation is operationally deployed to protect carriers, the usefulness of carriers as power projection tools against competent enemies risk facing extinction, mainly due to how expensive they are( countries can still mass produce 100s of tanks in a year, a single carrier takes Years to a decade+ to produce).
Even repairing a damaged carrier hit will take years.
By then perhaps EW systems to disrupt even AESA seekers or datalinks will be there on AWACS and other platforms, eternal cat and mouse game.
HGV are dangerous but they have many problems which can prevent them from effectively taking on aircraft carriers namely their inability to communicate during hypersonic speeds due to plasma covering vehicle which blocks any datalink comms for course corrections. Many problems remain to be solved to make HGVs an actual aircraft carrier killer the same way drones are wtr to tanks so imo they can't be compared. Hitting moving target without receiving course corrections is simply not that possible.
But long range low flying supersonic cruise missiles like Brahmos can be as dangerous if launched en masse especially to aircraft carriers without AWACS.
Every system has a problem and challenges.
Chinese anti ship hgv are "operational" and "in service".
As for plasma blocking signals not really, vlf and vhf frequencies are regularly used to overcome plasma, rockets communicate with ground stations using that, for decades
Working of a seeker can be a problem( though solutions to this also exist), but communication is not, not for decades now.
They are already operational.
What we need is something like the HAL CATS program but for AWACS. Smaller stealth drones penetrating enemy airspace and flying silently and launching AAMs at multiple targets and getting out. Integrate this with disposable surveillance satellites launched by launch vehicles into airspace above 80 kms. Which can then provide short term (hours to days) persistent coverage for operations. Not to mention, if we can then make those sats into bombardment once exhausted, then brilliant.
How will these small drones get a radar lock and guide their AAMs to their targets