India's Awacs project gets green signal

NEW DELHI: Six months after India signed the $1.1 billion (Rs 5,000 crore) deal for three Israeli Phalcon early warning radar and communication systems, the government on Thursday also gave the green signal for the revival of the project to develop an indigenous Awacs (airborne warning and control systems).

The Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) has set a timeframe of seven years for the development of the Awacs � which will be less sophisticated and smaller than the Phalcons � at a cost of Rs 1,800 crore.

"Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) and IAF will jointly cooperate in the development of the system," defence minister Pranab Mukherjee said after the CCS meeting. Sources said India will seek Israel's cooperation in fine-tuning the project. Under the agreement signed with Israel in March, all the three Phalcon Awacs, integrated with Russian IL-76 heavy transport aircraft, are to be supplied to India within five years.

Source : timesofindia.indiatimes.com...