India’s indigenously developed ‘NETRA’ Airborne Early Warning and Control (AEW&C) system has received Final Operational Clearance (FOC) from the country’s military airworthiness authorities, marking the completion of the programme’s development phase.

Three NETRA AEW&C aircraft are currently in service with the Indian Air Force’s (IAF) No. 200 Squadron at Bhatinda airbase. The development of the Indian AEW&C platform was helmed by the Centre for Airborne Systems (CABS), a defence laboratory which is part of the Defence Research & Development Organisation (DRDO). India opted for Brazilian airframer Embraer’s EMB-145 platform for the AEW&C programme.

The IAF inducted its first NETRA aircraft in Initial Operational Clearance (IOC) configuration in February 2017, followed by a second and third aircraft in 2019 and 2023. The new FOC standard features upgraded EW equipment including a Radar Warning Receiver (RWR). The FOC approval was granted in Bengaluru on 25 June. “The NETRA AEW&C in FOC configuration significantly enhances airborne surveillance, situational awareness, and battle management capability,” DRDO officials told FW Mag.

Air Marshal Awadhesh Kumar Bharti, Deputy Chief of the Air Staff, told FW Mag that the IAF had yet to take any decision to standardise all its AEW&C/AWACS platforms on twin-engine aircraft. He added that the Netra fleet is fully integrated into IAF networks and that the platforms played an important role in the 2019 Balakot strikes and Op Sindoor in 2025. The indigenous platform is also integrated into the IAF’s Integrated Air Command & Control System (IACCS).

The aircraft is equipped with a indigenously developed Active Electronically Scanned Array (AESA) radar and a Secondary Surveillance Radar, electronic and communication jamming systems and both Line of Sight (LOS) and Beyond Line of Sight (BLOS) datalinks. CABS also developed the software responsible for fusion of information from the sensors, providing the air situation picture and identification/classification of threat assessment.

The IAF is processing a proposal to acquire six AEW&C Mk-1A aircraft, which will be based on the NETRA AEW&C and use EMB-145 platforms. The IAF also operates three Israeli Phalcon Airborne Warning and Control System (AWACS) aircraft based on Russian IL-76 platforms which entered service from 2009 onwards.

Follow us on Telegram, Facebook and X.