Article Posted on : - Feb 11, 2011

EMB 145 AEW&C.

BANGALORE (BNS): India will be receiving the first of three EMB 145 Airborne Early Warning & Control System (AEW&C) aircraft by the second half of this year, Embraer said, during a press conference here at Aero India 2011.

“We are going to roll out the first aircraft on 21st February in Brazil. The first flight will be in the first half of 2011 with delivery of the first aircraft scheduled to take place in the second half of the year,” defence head of the company, Orlando Neto said.

The Airborne Early Warning & Control System (AEW&CS) is a project being undertaken by India's Defence Research & Development Organisation to develop an AWACS for the Indian Air Force (IAF).

According to media reports, DRDO AEW & Control System programme aims to deliver three radar equipped surveillance aircraft to the IAF. The aircraft platform will be the Embraer EMB 145. Three EMB 145 are to be procured at a cost of $208 million, for the project. The aim is to deploy these AEW & C aircraft by 2013. The contract was signed in 2008.

The AEW&CS will comprise of indigenously developed radar and control system mounted on a Brazilian Embraer EMB-145 regional jet.

EMB 145 is already in use with Brazil, Greece and Mexico.