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http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/d ... 044158.ece
Updated: March 29, 2015 03:16 IST
The Defence Acquisition Council (DAC), chaired by Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar, which met on Saturday, approved the development of an indigenous Airborne Warning and Control Systems (AWACS) by the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO).
The council allocated Rs. 5,113 crore for two systems based on the A-330 aircraft, which will be procured from Airbus. Eventually, six systems will be built for use by the Air Force.
In all, the DAC cleared deals estimated at Rs.7,400 crore.
AWACS are radars mounted on an aircraft to provide seamless 360-degree coverage of the airspace. The Air Force is currently operating three Israeli Phalcons based on Russian Il-76 aircraft. In addition, the DRDO is developing two smaller Airborne Early Warning & Control (AEW&C) based on the Embraer aircraft, scheduled to be delivered this year.