India’s ‘eye in the sky’ Netra AEW&C has received final operational clearance

The indigenous Netra Airborne Early Warning and Control (AEW&C) system, which played a key role as a force multiplier for the Indian Air Force last year during the Balakot attacks and Operation Sindoor in 2019, received final operational clearance (FOC) on Thursday.

Developed indigenously by the Bengaluru-based Center for Airborne Systems (CABS), Netra AEW&C is integrated into Brazil’s Embraer EMB-145I aircraft platform. The system includes a sophisticated suite of mission equipment, including Active Electronically Scanned Array (AESA) radar, Identification Friend or Foe (IFF), mission computer, secure communications networks, electronic support measures (ESM) and communications support measures.

India is the fifth country in the world to develop this capability as Netra can detect, track, identify and monitor air and sea targets, enhancing the IAF’s net-centric capabilities.

At an event to mark the occasion, IAF scientists and officers paid tribute to colleagues killed in a tragic air crash in 1999. The seeds of India’s air situational awareness and battle management capabilities were sown in the early 1980s. However, the tragic crash of a modified HS-748 Avro near Arakkonam in Tamil Nadu with eight people on board, including four IAF personnel and four scientists, on 11 January 1999 resulted in the temporary abandonment of the programme.

The program took off again after it was reauthorized in 2004. During this intervening period, scientists maintained their persistence and hoped for the best.

“On January 11, 1999, an ill-fated aircraft crashed. I salute the personnel on board who made the ultimate sacrifice. Today we have shown that their sacrifice was not in vain. This FOC is dedicated to them,” said Defense Research and Development Organization (DRDO) Air Cluster Director General K. Menon Rajalakshmi.

She said the IAF’s indigenous AEW&C efforts began in 1983 and received partial approval from the then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi when she gave her approval to set up a project office under DRDO called Aerospace Surveillance Monitoring and Control in Bengaluru with headquarters in Delhi.

“Initial studies on all aspects of AEW&C were carried out under the auspices of Project Guardian. A small team of IAF scientists and officers took up the challenge of designing and developing an airborne surveillance platform on the HS-748 Avro aircraft. The Airborne Surveillance Platform (ASP) was the pride of India with a rotodome and took off on November 19 on its first modified platform.

She added that the naval radar procured from Italy, which was first integrated in 1991, marked the beginning of India’s journey in aerial surveillance systems.

The Initial Operating Authorization (IOC) for the Netra was granted in 2015 and it was inducted into the IAF in 2017. Between the IOC and FOC being granted, the Netra underwent various operational exercises.

To improve the performance of the ESM system, a custom ESM system was developed to ensure the required performance. Various radar options have also been improved, including low-flying target detection. In addition, network-centric capabilities have been improved by replacing legacy transmitters with high-performance Software Defined Radar (SDR) transmitters. A number of other capability enhancements were also made based on operator suggestions and feedback.

“Netra has been part of the IAF for quite some time now. It’s a remarkable day because the FOC has been achieved. Whatever we envisioned in this program has been fulfilled in full, so it’s a remarkable achievement,” Air Marshal Awadhesh Kumar Bharti, Deputy Chief of Air Staff, said on the occasion.

He added that Netra has been a key cog in many IAF operations such as the Balakot strikes in February 2019 and Operation Sindoor in May 2025 and will continue to be so.

“During Operation Sindoor, the AEW&C once again demonstrated its operational relevance and maturity. Its performance under challenging conditions reaffirmed its status as a critical force enhancer and highlighted the remarkable progress the program has made since its introduction,” he added.

The Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) approved the development of six more AEW&C Mk-1A CABS systems.

Former Chief of Air Staff, Air Chief Marshal RKS Bhadauria (retd) recalled his association with the AEW&C team, especially the HS-748 project members. He said the FOC was a great success. “You have fulfilled the vision of our leadership from both the IAF and the scientific community and the DRDO that contemplated this challenge in the 1980s,” he said.

Published – 25 Jun 2026 23:04 IST