PHALCON ARRIVES

[Abhi]

The first of the three Indian Air Force AWACS (Airborne Warning and Control System) platform landed on India soil escorted by the venerable Mig-29 and Jaguar fighters at the IAF’s Jamnagar airbase, today at 1135 hrs (IST).

 

A special ‘Induction ceremony’ awaits the AWACS in the National Capital where Defence Minister Shri AK Antony will dedicate this force-multiplier to the Nation on Thursday, May 28.

 

The news of the landing of the aircraft was conveyed to Shri AK Antony by the Chief of the Air Staff, Air Chief Marshal FH Major within an hour of the former resuming the office as the Defence Minister for a second successive term.

 

The AWACS is a tripartite venture amongst India, Russia and Israel. The Indian Air Force laid down the operational requirements in detail based on which the Israeli ‘Phalcon’ radar was mounted on the Russian IL-76 aircraft equipped with the more powerful PS-90A engines making it more advanced than many such systems. This is the first of a total of three AWACS that the IAF is slated to receive. The remaining two are expected to be inducted into the IAF by 2010 and all the AWACS would be based at Agra. India is one of the few countries to have inducted the AWACS in their Air Forces.

 

The AWACS is a true ‘force-multiplier’ that gives a quantum jump to the operational capabilities of the Indian Air Force. Known as the Air Force’s ‘Eye in the Sky’, it is capable of detecting intruders over sea and land at large distances. It has many other capabilities including Electronic and Signal Intelligence gathering. Once operationalised alongwith the Operational Data Link (ODL), Integrated Air Command and Control System (IACCS) and the Air Force Net (AFNET), the IAF would have taken a definitive step towards Net Centric Operations.

 

Date: 26 May 09

 

SOURCE BHARAT RAKSHAK

[Nesher]

there is already a post about it in the Aviation forum

 

cheers m8 :)