The indigenous Netra Airborne Early Warning and Control (AEW&C) system, which played a pivotal role as a force multiplier for the Indian Air Force in the 2019 Balakot strikes and Operation Sindoor last year, was accorded Final Operational Clearance (FOC) on Thursday.

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

India is the fifth country in the world to develop this capability, as the Netra can detect, track, identify and monitor airborne and maritime targets enhancing the network-centric operations capabilities of the IAF.

At an event to mark the occasion, scientists and IAF officers dedicated the achievement to colleagues killed in a tragic air crash in 1999. The seeds of India’s airborne situational awareness and battle management capability were sown in the early 1980s. However, the tragic crash of a modified HS-748 Avro aircraft near Arakkonam in Tamil Nadu, with eight people aboard, including four IAF personnel and four scientists, on January 11, 1999 resulted in the programme being abandoned temporarily.

The programme took off again after being sanctioned afresh in 2004. During this intervening period, scientists kept their perseverance and hoped for the best.

“On January 11, 1999, the ill-fated aircraft had a crash. I salute personnel who were on board, who made their supreme sacrifice. Today we have shown that their sacrifice has not gone in vain. This FOC is dedicated to them,” said Director-General of Aeronautics Cluster of the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), K. Rajalakshmi Menon.

She said that the IAF’s pursuit of an indigenous AEW&C began in 1983 and got a partial nod from then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, when she gave the go-ahead for the formation of a project office under the DRDO called the Aerospace Surveillance Monitoring and Control in Bengaluru, with its headquarters in Delhi.

“The initial studies on all aspects of AEW&C were carried out under the aegis of Project Guardian. A small team of scientists and IAF officers took up the challenge to design and develop an airborne surveillance platform on an HS-748 Avro aircraft. The Airborne Surveillance Platform (ASP) was the pride of India with a rotodome and it took off for its maiden modified platform flight on November 5, 1990,” she said.

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

The Initial Operational Clearance (IOC) for the Netra was accorded in 2015 and it was inducted into the IAF in 2017. Between the grant of the IOC and FOC, Netra had undergone various operational exercises.

To improve performance of the ESM system, an indigenous ESM system was developed which ensured the required performance. Improvements were also made to various capabilities of the radar, including low-flying target detection. Besides, net-centric capabilities were improved by replacing legacy radios with high-capability Software Defined Radar (SDR) radios. Many other enhancements in capabilities too were carried out as per suggestions and observations from operators.

“Netra has been part of the IAF for some time. It is a remarkable day as the FOC has been accomplished. Whatever we envisioned with this programme has been delivered in full, so that is a remarkable achievement,” Air Marshal Awadhesh Kumar Bharti, Deputy Chief of Air Staff, said on the occasion.

He added that Netra was a crucial cog in the wheel of many IAF operations such as the Balakot strikes in February 2019 and Operation Sindoor in May 2025, and will continue to remain so.

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

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

Former Chief of the Air Staff, Air Chief Marshal R.K.S. Bhadauria (retd) recalled his association with the AEW&C team, particularly with members of the HS-748  project. He said that the FOC was a great achievement. “You have delivered to the vision of our leadership both from the IAF and the scientific community and the DRDO, who in the 1980s had thought of getting on this challenge,” he said.