By IANS,
Bangalore : Even as the Indian Air Force (IAF) awaits the delivery of its first airborne early warning and control systems (AWACS), Israel is displaying a compact version of the system mounted on a business jet at the Aero India international air show that opened here Wednesday.
India has purchased three Phalcon AWACS systems from Israel that will be mounted on the Russian-built IL-78 transport aircraft. What Israel is now offering is the third generation Conformal Airborne Early Warning and Control System (CAEWCS) fitted into a modified Gulfstream 550G business jet.
“The best part about our system is that it is more compact and has greater endurance than the IL-78,” an Israeli official told IANS, speaking on condition of anonymity.
The Israeli offering has an endurance of nine hours, against the IL-78’s six hours. This enabled the Gulfstream to fly non-stop from Israel to the Aero India venue at the Yelahanka Air Force Base here.
Based on dual-band technology, the radar was upgraded in 2008 and is being displayed for the first time in India.
The CAEWCS, which is in service in the Israeli Air Force, serves a variety of operational missions including airborne early warning, air situation picture generation and air combat command and control.