IAF plans to buy 6 more indigenous 'Netra-I eyes in the sky' surveillance planes
Sep 21, 2023
New Delhi [India], September 21 : Seeking to further strengthen the surveillance along the borders with China and Pakistan, the Indian Air Force is in the process of reviving the indigenous Netra-I Airborne Early Warning and Control aircraft programme based on the Brazilian Embraer aircraft.
"Two of the Netra AEW&C surveillance aircraft also known as the ‘eyes in the sky’ are already in the Air Force after being developed by the DRDO. There is now a plan to build six more of these aircraft for which groundwork has already started," Indian Air Force officials told ANI.
"The DRDO and our officials have already started looking for sources to acquire the Embraer ERJ-145 aircraft to modify them for carrying the radar on it after modification," officials added.
The Indian Air Force has been using these aircraft very effectively along both the China and Pakistan border to keep an eye on their activities along the boundary and their performance has been very effective. An airborne surveillance platform, it has the ability to maintain constant, all-pervasive vigil over the entire battlefield, IAF officials said.
The Indian Air Force relies on three Israeli AWACS and two Netra surveillance planes for its surveillance needs.
The programme will be done along with the Netra-2 AEW&C project under which six A-321 aircraft would be modified to turn them into surveillance aircraft. This would mean that India would be getting around 13 more AEW&C planes in the coming five to ten years.
