New Delhi wants to purchase another two A-50E/I AWACS (Airborne Warning and Control System) aircraft, a Russian-Israeli co-production based on the Ilyushin Il-76 aircraft destined for India, of which it has already ordered three following an agreement dating back to 2004 valued 1.1 billion dollars.
As declared by a source from the Indian Ministry of Defence, negotiations for the 800 million dollar deal are in their final stages.
This agreement is considered as an extension to the 2004 contract, and according to tabloids, India’s desire to acquire a further two units would be the answer to Pakistan’s purchase of four Saab-2000 aircraft from Sweden; Islamabad is also waiting to receive the first of four ZDK-3 AWACS aircraft from China.
The A-50E/I AWACS (NATO code name Mainstay) is an aircraft developed by the designers of Beriev, which is the Russian equivalent of the Boeing E-3 Sentry, and is easily recognizable because of its rotodome (rotating radome) which contains the radar antenna. It is equipped with the Israeli Phalcon radar designed specifically for the Indian Air Force.
The Chinese version is called the KJ-2000.
