Netra AEW&C Gets Full Combat Clearance: DRDO Hands Over Final Operational Clearance Certificate to Indian Air Force

DRDO has handed over the final operational clearance certificate for the indigenous Netra AEW&C system to the Indian Air Force. The clearance confirms the platform is combat-ready, with radar, surveillance, communication and self-protection capabilities.

New Delhi: India’s indigenous airborne early warning programme reached a definitive juncture on Wednesday when the Defence Research and Development Organisation formally handed over the final operational clearance (FOC) certificate for the Netra airborne early warning and control (AEW&C) system to the Indian Air Force at its Centre for Airborne Systems (CABS) in Bengaluru.

The FOC certifies that the system is fully combat-ready, structurally sound, and equipped with all required mission capabilities.

For a platform as complex as Netra – which knits together an active electronically scanned array (AESA) radar, electronic support measures, communication suites, software-defined radios, data links, and a self-protection electronic warfare suite on a single modified airframe – the clearance carries considerable weight. Achieving FOC indicates that the system has met the required performance benchmarks under realistic operating conditions and can now be fielded as a mature military capability.

The ceremony was presided over by the deputy chief of the air staff, Air Marshal Awadhesh Kumar Bharti.

From concept to combat: A two-decade journey

The origins of the Netra programme trace back to 2003, when the IAF and DRDO jointly assessed the feasibility of developing an indigenous AEW&C system. Following government approval, CABS was designated as the nodal agency for design, system integration, and testing.

Four other DRDO laboratories contributed to the effort: the Electronics and Radar Development Establishment developed the primary radar, the Defence Electronics Application Laboratory handled communication systems and data links, the Defence Avionics Research Establishment worked on the self-protection suite and electronic warfare measures, and the Defence Electronics Research Laboratory provided communication support.

Three ERJ-145 aircraft were procured from Embraer of Brazil and extensively modified to meet military requirements. These modifications included in-flight refuelling capability, satellite communication systems, advanced avionics, electrical upgrades, and aerodynamic and structural changes.

The first Netra aircraft was delivered to the IAF in February 2017 and received its initial operational clearance (IOC) in October 2017 after trial runs at Bhisiana Air Force Station. The second and third aircraft were received by the IAF in 2019 and 2023 respectively.

The Netra Mk1 is built on a modified Embraer ERJ-145 twin-engine aircraft and features an indigenously developed AESA radar system.

The dorsal-mounted radar provides 240-degree electronic scan coverage with a detection range of approximately 250–300 kilometres.

It has capability of tracking targets deep inside adversary territory without breaching international borders.

It is also fitted with a secondary surveillance radar, electronic and communication counter-measures, line-of-sight and beyond-line-of-sight data links, and secure voice communication systems.

Its endurance of over eight hours, extendable via in-flight refuelling, further enhances its operational reach.

India is among only four countries in the world to have indigenously developed an AEW&C system of this type.

Tested in anger

Netra played a pivotal behind-the-scenes role in the Balakot surgical strikes in February 2019, providing crucial surveillance cover during the pre-dawn aerial attack.

During the retaliatory operation the following day, when Pakistan Air Force F-16 combat jets attempted to violate Indian airspace, it was the indigenous AEW&C that alerted MiG-21s and other fighters on air patrol about the incoming F-16s, resulting in the aerial engagement that followed.

During Operation Sindoor on May 7, 2025, the IAF deployed the Netra Mk1A testbed – originally developed by DRDO for testing purposes – in an operational role.

The Netra aircraft were also deployed during the India-China border stand-off in 2020.

In his address at Wednesday’s ceremony, Air Marshal Bharti specifically referenced the system’s operational record during Operation Sindoor and the Balakot strikes, noting that indigenous systems offer the services the flexibility to adapt platforms to an evolving warfighting environment through modifications – a degree of autonomy that imported systems do not readily afford.

Distinguished scientist and director general of DRDO’s electronics cluster, Dr BK Das, described the Netra AEW&C as a demonstration of what coordinated effort among operational users, scientific agencies, and defence production establishments can produce.