New Delhi: Premier defence research
organisation DRDO has indigenously developed Aerostat radar
which will help strengthen the air defence network of the
armed forces and boost the country`s surveillance
capabilities.
Developed by DRDO`s Agra-based Aerial Delivery
Research and Development Establishment(ADRDE) laboratory, the
Aerostat is undergoing final trials with full payload and is
expected to be delivered to the armed forces in the near
future, DRDO officials said.
The Aerostat radars, which basically include sensors
mounted on blimp-like large balloons tethered to the ground
with long cables, are a long-standing requirement of the air
force.
The DRDO-made aerostat radar has been designed to rise
one km above the ground and its payload includes
electro-optical sensors and equipment for communication
intelligence, they said.
The armed forces have till now relied on Israeli
aerostat radar systems, which have been deployed along the
western frontiers and allow the defence forces to keep a watch
on flying objects well outside its territory.
The radars on Aerostats can be operated either in a
360 degree search mode and can stay afloat round-the-clock for
four to five weeks at one go. They are much cheaper and easier
to operate than AWACS.
India has recently acquired three AWACS systems from
Israel and has plans of acquiring two more similar systems in
the near future.
Both AWACS and Aerostat radars act as `eyes in the
sky` and help in enhancing the situational awareness of the
theatre commanders to detect hostile aircraft and can be
decisive in aerial combat operations by effectively
positioning air defence fighters against them.
PTI
