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India’s indigenous airborne surveillance capability is poised for a key operational milestone, with the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) scheduled to grant Final Operational Clearance (FOC) to the Netra Airborne Early Warning and Control (AEW&C) system on June 25 at the Centre for Airborne Systems in Bengaluru.
The clearance will formally bring the Netra programme into full operational service, marking the end of a long development cycle aimed at equipping the Indian Air Force with a home-grown airborne early warning platform built around indigenous mission systems. Final Operational Clearance indicates that a system has completed developmental trials, user evaluations and integration testing, and is cleared for unrestricted operational deployment.
The Bengaluru-based Centre has developed the system for Airborne Systems (CABS), a DRDO laboratory responsible for airborne surveillance and mission systems integration.
At the heart of the programme is the integration of advanced surveillance and mission avionics onto the Brazilian-built Embraer platform. Three aircraft based on the Embraer EMB-145 have already been inducted by the Indian Air Force in Initial Operational Clearance (IOC) configuration, following a series of developmental trials conducted in close coordination with service operators.
The Netra system is designed to provide persistent airborne situational awareness across air and maritime domains. It combines active electronically scanned array (AESA) radar, electronic support measures, and secure data links, allowing it to detect, track and classify aerial and surface threats over extended ranges. Functioning as an airborne command-and-control node, the platform is capable of relaying real-time targeting and surveillance data to both airborne assets and ground-based command centres.
Officials familiar with the programme note that successive trials over the years focused on validating mission-critical subsystems, including radar performance, mission software stability, electronic warfare support measures, and communication interoperability. These evaluations were key to moving the platform from IOC to full operational status.
With the FOC process nearing completion, the Indian Air Force is expected to expand its reliance on the Netra fleet for air defence coordination, border surveillance, and maritime domain awareness, particularly in scenarios requiring rapid response and extended radar coverage beyond ground-based systems.
Meanwhile, India is already preparing for the next phase of its airborne early warning architecture.
On July 17, 2025, the Cabinet Committee on Security (Cabinet Committee on Security approval (India, 2025 AEW&C expansion)), chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, cleared a Rs 19,000 crore proposal to develop six next-generation AEW&C aircraft based on the Airbus A321 platform.
The upcoming Netra Mk-2 programme represents a significant scale-up from the current system, with a larger airframe allowing for more powerful radar arrays, expanded onboard systems, and enhanced endurance. The A321-based aircraft is expected to provide near-360-degree radar coverage and substantially greater detection range than the current EMB-145-based fleet.
Together, the induction of Netra FOC and the launch of the Mk-2 programme signal a steady consolidation of India’s indigenous airborne surveillance capability, a domain long dominated by imported systems, as the Indian Air Force builds a layered early warning architecture tailored to evolving regional threats.
Team BharatShakti
