BY :ITExaminer

The delivery of three Israeli Phalcon AWACS to the Indian Air Force (IAF) has been delayed until at least 2009.

The airborne warning and control systems, purchased in 2004 for $1.1-billion, were originally slated for integration into the IAF by November 2007.

An anonymous official attributed the delay to "technical hitches in the integration work" and emphasized that New Delhi was pressuring IAI (Israel Aerospace Industries) to deliver the first AWAC before the end of 2008.

The faltering deal has also been plagued by allegations of mismanaged negotiations and overpayment. Indeed, as the IT Examiner previously reported, the AWAC sale was heavily criticised by Maj Gen (Retd) Mrinal Suman. According to the Major General, the Indian government "failed to negotiate full-proof agreements with clearly defined provisions...In almost all contracts, imprecise and flawed provisions led to multiple interpretations during the implementation stage".

In addition, Suman complained that New Delhi chose to shell out a hefty $1.1 billion for the AWACS, despite the fact that Israel had planned to sell the same planes to Beijing for a mere $358 million.

A number of corrupt individuals have also been linked to the purchase of various Israeli armaments, including the Phalcon. To be sure, the CBI (Central Bureau of Investigation) is currently investigating kickbacks related to the Rs 1,160-crore Barak-I anti-missile defence system contract. Former defence minister George Fernandes and infamous arms dealer Suresh Nanda have reportedly been implicated in the latest arms scandal. It should be noted that Fernandes was forced to resign his position due to his involvement in a number of tainted defence deals, including the unethical procurement of BAE's hawk trainer.



Despite the above-mentioned delays, New Delhi still considers the warning and control systems to be a critical military asset in any future conflict with Pakistan or China. For example, an AWAC deployed over Amritsar will allow the IAF to immediately detect and counter the launch of Pakistani F-16 fighters from Sargodha airbase.

As such, India will attempt to indigenously develop its own AWAC technology, which will be integrated onto three recently purchased Brazillian Embraer-145 jets. In addition, the government has signed a deal with Russia's state arms exporter, Rosoboronexport, to provide the IAF's AWAC (A-50) aircraft with after sale services. Rosoboronexport is also designing a modernized version of the A-50 plane that will feature an advanced radar system and upgraded PS-90A engines.