Indian Military

NEW DELHI: Having already procured three Airborne Warning and Control Systems (AWACS), the Indian Air Force is planning to induct ten such eyes for boosting the country's air defence.

In the near future, the IAF will place fresh orders for two more PHALCON AWACS in addition to the three procured earlier.

But in the long run, it has plans of inducting a total of ten such aircraft in its fleet, Defence Ministry officials told PTI here.

With ten aircraft, the IAF hopes to provide round the clock vigil across all the frontiers, the sources said.

India inducted its first AWACS system in Delhi this year and the second was inducted into the fleet in June.

Officials said the third aircraft is expected to join the fleet by the end of this year in December. The AWACS deal was initiated in 2004 between India, Israel and Russia.

The project involved the Israeli Phalcon early-warning radar and communication suites which had to be mounted on the Russian IL-76 heavy-lift military aircraft.

JAMMU/NEW DELHI: Two Pakistani aircraft on Wednesday flew close to the international border in the Jammu sector, triggering an air defence alert of the Indian Air Force.
The two low-flying Pakistani light aircraft were detected close to Indian territory and were sighted by BSF troops deployed in the R S Pura Sector in Jammu, Indian Air Force sources said.
"Their movement and approach were picked up by our sensors and radars," they said.
Thought the aircraft were flying in Pakistani territory, it was a breach of agreement between the two sides barring flying of fixed-wing aircraft in 10 km area from each side of the international boundary, they said.
"As per its standard operating procedures (SOP), IAF responds in such situation looking at the level of threat posed by the aircraft," they said, without giving details.
The SOP could range from activating its surface-to-air missile batteries to scrambling of fighter aircraft located close to the area.