By IANS,
New Delhi : India may procure two more Airborne Warning and Control System (AWACS) aircraft.
Defence Minister A.K. Antony stated this in the Lok Sabha Monday in response to a question from a member who wanted to know if the government had decided to beef up air defence.
Antony said the long-term integrated perspective plan of his ministry envisaged deployment of a mix of large AWACS aircraft and small Airborne Early Warning and Control (AEW&C) system aircraft.
“While three AWACS already stand operationalized in the Indian Air Force, there is a proposal for procurement of two additional AWACS,” he said.
Simultaneously, he added, the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) was engaged in indigenous development of three AWE&C systems.
The minister said the development of AWACS (India) “is envisaged to be completed in about 84 months from the date of formal sanction”.