NETRA MK.2 AEW News and Updates

[abingdonboy]

@hit&run please create a separate sticky thread for NETRA MK.2, it is more of a reality than AWACS(I)

 

[hit&run]

NETRA : THE INDIGENEOUS AIRBORNE EARLY WARNING & CONTROL SYSTEM | Defence Research and Development Organisation - DRDO, Ministry of Defence, Government of India

www.drdo.gov.in

 

[Gessler]

Till now multiple sources are reporting multiple things...what is going to be the host aircraft exactly?

Airbus A319, 320 or 321?

@abingdonboy

 

[FalconSlayers]

Till now multiple sources are reporting multiple things...what is going to be the host aircraft exactly?

Airbus A319, 320 or 321?

@abingdonboy

It’s A319 only

 

[samsaptaka]

Till now multiple sources are reporting multiple things...what is going to be the host aircraft exactly?

Airbus A319, 320 or 321?

@abingdonboy

CCS has also cleared six A319/320 based DRDO AEW&CS Project.

 

[Neeraj Mathur]

 

[swapcv]

Till now multiple sources are reporting multiple things...what is going to be the host aircraft exactly?

Airbus A319, 320 or 321?

@abingdonboy

A319-112's sourced from Air India. Probably chosen because amongst A320ceo family, it has the most range which would translate into greater time on station. I wonder if they'll retrofit it for aerial refuelling though.

 

[Neeraj Mathur]

Air India fleet right now.


They have only A319 and A321 in good numbers. A320 series are on Lease.

Air India Fleet Link

 

[swapcv]

View attachment 109430

Air India fleet right now.


They have only A319 and A321 in good numbers. A320 series are on Lease.

Air India Fleet Link

They usually don't update their websites in time, right now the fleet of A319's is down to 20 total. They operated 24 A319's over the course of time. Planespotters hosts a more updated fleet matrix available below which is regularly updated.

Login required | Planespotters.net

www.planespotters.net

 

[Rajaraja Chola]

Till now multiple sources are reporting multiple things...what is going to be the host aircraft exactly?

Airbus A319, 320 or 321?

@abingdonboy

Don't matter to be honest. A319 and 321 themselves are based on 320 platform. It's bit smaller or lil elongated. For AWACS purposes the level of tolerance should be fine.

 

[Dessert Storm]

It’s A319 only

Background info:
1.

View attachment 109430

Air India fleet right now.


They have only A319 and A321 in good numbers.

Air India Fleet Link

Given that 320 neo are wet lease and the 320s owned are only 5 in number, so that is counted out. It can only be 319 or 321.
2. DRDO Anusandhan, the flying test bed is 319.

Therefore, it is safe to assume that it's going to be 319, as the testbed is a 319, resulting in faster delivery, because of platform commonality between the testbed and the order of 6.

 

[Dessert Storm]

A319-112's sourced from Air India. Probably chosen because amongst A320ceo family, it has the most range which would translate into greater time on station. I wonder if they'll retrofit it for aerial refuelling though.

Would be great to have a refuelling option. However, that might adversely affect the delivery time for AEWCS, which reduces the possibility of 319s being retrofitted for aerial refueling.
As far as aerial tanker go, it's known that IAF might go in for hiring (not leasing) the tankers. Further, aerial tankers generally are wide bodied aircrafts. We do have the Boeings in AI inventory, whether they will be converted to tankers remains to be seen. That would probably depend on whether IAF hires Boeing or Airbus as tanker.

 

[abingdonboy]

Background info:
1.

Given that 320 neo are wet lease and the 320s owned are only 5 in number, so that is counted out. It can only be 319 or 321.
2. DRDO Anusandhan, the flying test bed is 319.

Therefore, it is safe to assume that it's going to be 319, as the testbed is a 319, resulting in faster delivery, because of platform commonality between the testbed and the order of 6.

Anusandhan is not for the AWACS project but for AMCA and ISR projects

 

[Dessert Storm]

Anusandhan is not for the AWACS project but for AMCA and ISR projects

Yep for AMCA & ISR too. However, unless the testing for AMCA-ISR has already started, the testbed may be used for AEWCS testing. If the testing on former has already started, then the first out of the six modified would be used as AEWCS testbed. If not then it would be used as testbed for AMCA-ISR. Would like to be updated on whether testing has started?

 

[abingdonboy]

Yep for AMCA & ISR too. However, unless the testing for AMCA-ISR has already started, the testbed may be used for AEWCS testing. If the testing on former has already started, then the first out of the six modified would be used as AEWCS testbed. If not then it would be used as testbed for AMCA-ISR. Would like to be updated on whether testing has started?

It’s explicitly for the AMCA project and that project will be prioritised for this FTB. That said modifying an A319 is inevitably going to lead to learnings that can be applied to NETRA MK.2 and I’m sure many subsystems that will be common to NETRA will be tested in this FTB also.

AMCA project has been asking for a dedicated FTB for years, Anusandhan is the result.

like with NETRA MK.1 the first airframe will act as the testbed for the entire project which works fine because all the work will be done within India anyway.

just because Anusandhan is an A319 and NETRA MK.2 will be on the 319/20/21 family doesn’t mean they overlap very much.

Be sure that Anusandhan will be prioritised for AMCA above all else as that project is hitting its maturity stage as we speak and needs the learnings from the FTB to proceed.

 

[Okabe Rintarou]

It’s explicitly for the AMCA project and that project will be prioritised for this FTB. That said modifying an A319 is inevitably going to lead to learnings that can be applied to NETRA MK.2 and U.K. sure many subsystems that will be common to NETRA will be tested in this FTB also.

AMCA project has been asking for a dedicated FTB for years, Anusandhan is the result.

like with NETRA MK.1 the first airframe will act as the testbed for the entire project which works fine because all the work will be done within India anyway.

just because Anusandhan is an A319 and NETRA MK.2 will be on the 319/20/21 family doesn’t mean they overlap very much.

Be sure that Anusandhan will be prioritised for AMCA above all else as that project is hitting its maturity stage as we speak and needs the learnings from the FTB to proceed.

View attachment 109678

Just thinking out loud, can AESA equipped AEW&CS be equipped with some stand-off jamming capabilities? I mean by utilizing the main radar itself.

 

[abingdonboy]

Just thinking out loud, can AESA equipped AEW&CS be equipped with some stand-off jamming capabilities? I mean by utilizing the main radar itself.

Yes if the appropriate wave classification software exists onboard AWACS can very much be used for this role (obviously if the waves are within the spectrum of the main radar)

 

[Covfefe]

Yes if the appropriate wave classification software exists onboard AWACS can very much be used for this role (obviously if the waves are within the spectrum of the main radar)

Hey, any source on where to read about EW from? Total noob here.

 

[Tactical Doge]

Hey, any source on where to read about EW from? Total noob here.

Legends don't read, legends listen to other legends with first hand experience

Spoiler

 

[Okabe Rintarou]

Hey, any source on where to read about EW from? Total noob here.

This book is good as reference material. Its practically a textbook: https://falcon.blu3wolf.com/Docs/Electronic-Warfare-Fundamentals.pdf