Reference News Network, August 31 report. According to the website of "El País" on August 30, the Indian Air Force will be equipped with a new airborne early warning aircraft based on the European-made Airbus A321 model. The New Delhi government has approved a four-year plan with a budget of 2 billion euros.

Under this project, the Indian Air Force will receive six airborne early warning and control aircraft, whose main mission is to serve as an advanced mobile airborne radar system for detecting various enemy threats.

After the government's approval, the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) of India will collaborate with several Indian companies and Airbus. These preliminary efforts will lay the foundation for the military program, which aims to integrate the antennas, as the core system of the aircraft, with other onboard systems.

This program is called the Netra Mk2 airborne early warning project in India. Its significance lies in being the first time that the Airbus A321 model is used for such applications. Airbus Defence and Space had already included this functionality in its product catalog, but no country had adopted it before.

The current Netra Mk1 airborne early warning aircraft in service with the Indian Air Force are smaller and have been used in recent clashes with Pakistan to monitor the Pakistani Air Force and Army units commanded from Islamabad.

The Indian Air Force maintains close cooperation with the defense division of Airbus. Just a few weeks ago, the last batch of C-295 transport aircraft manufactured in Seville, Spain, was en route to India. India is about to launch a new assembly line for this aircraft model.

The Airbus A321 is one of the most widely used commercial aircraft globally, but it has not yet been used as a military airborne early warning platform. This means that the aircraft needs significant modifications to accommodate all the systems that will provide India with airborne early warning and control capabilities.

The most critical part is structural reinforcement because the main external component of the Netra Mk2 will be a longitudinal radar. Although the final design for the modification has not been announced, such technology is usually mounted on the top of the fuselage with brackets connected to the fuselage.

The main radar of the Netra Mk2 was jointly developed by the Defence Research and Development Organisation of India and several domestic industrial partners. It is an active electronically scanned array (AESA) radar based on gallium nitride composite materials, which is currently the most advanced solution in this field. This material significantly improves energy efficiency, detection range, and resolution. Therefore, it can detect smaller targets at greater distances than other solutions. When operated with dedicated software, it can also track multiple threat targets simultaneously.

The Indian Air Force's chosen solution is to install an advanced radar in the front of the aircraft, which is expected to achieve a 300-degree coverage area and a detection range of over 400 kilometers.

According to Indian media reports, the aircraft's avionics systems (cockpit instruments and onboard computers) also need to be modified to meet military standards. This includes some mission-specific systems and communication systems.

Another change will occur inside the aircraft. Technicians will install operational stations for dedicated personnel to monitor aerial threats, control the onboard radar, and other auxiliary systems.

According to Indian media reports, this aircraft will also be equipped with an electronic warfare system for detecting, jamming, and evading enemy radar systems. (Translated by Wang Meng)

Original: https://www.toutiao.com/article/7544630722087240219/

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