Development Trials Of India’s New AEW&C To Begin This Month

India’s recently acquired Embraer 145 Airborne Early Warning and Control Aircraft (AEW&C) scheduled to arrive later this month will undergo developmental trials and will be integrated with Mission Systems Avionics. The trials will begin once the aircraft has been granted successful Ground Evaluation clearances from the Directorate General of Aeronautical Quality Assurance (DGAQA) and the Center for Military Airworthiness & Certification (CEMILAC). The first of three aircraft to arrive has been fitted with India’s indigenously developed Active Electronically Scanned Array (AESA) radar. According to the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), “The structural AESA with dummy electronics is certified for airworthiness by the Brazilian certification agency, ANAC, equivalent of FAA in USA. The aircraft is fitted with AESA and the airworthy units from other work centers of DRDO have been flight tested prior to ferry to India”. “This EMB 145 AEW&C features major capabilities such as in-flight refueling system, significant increase in electric and cooling capacity and a comprehensive set of structural changes to which will allow the installation of the advanced mission systems that have been developed by India’s CABS (Centre for Air Borne Systems) along with its work centers of DRDO”, said Dr. Elangovan, Chief Controller R&D (Avionics & Aero) of DRDO. The Indian Air Force will also operate the new AEW&C on the Israeli-Russian IL-76 Phalcon AWACS in addition to the Brazilian aircraft.