India To Buy Two Intelligence And Surveillance Aircraft From US

India has sent a formal letter of request the United States Defense Department earlier this month saying that it wishes to buy two intelligence, surveillance, target acquisition and reconnaissance (ISTAR) aircraft via the Foreign Military Sales program, Defense News has reported.

According to a Ministry of Defense (MoD) source quoted in the report, the acquisition program is running behind schedule “due to dispute between DRDO and IAF over the issue of being designated as prime evaluating authority. IAF had said DRDO is incapable and does not have expertise to evaluate the aircraft; therefore, the service should be the technical evaluator as the aircraft will be operated by them.”

The dispute has now been resolved by the MoD, which has formed a joint committee for technical evaluation.

These airborne battlefield and ground surveillance aircraft will reportedly be operated by the Indian Air Force (IAF).

“It will be a game-changer and very vital in India’s operational and technologically networked environment,” the report quoted a senior IAF official as saying.

The aircraft, which will be tailored for Indian use, will be equipped with active electronically scanned array (AESA) radar. This AESA radar is capable of scanning more than a 30,000-kilometer area in a minute, the report said.

ISTAR aircraft will be supplied to the IAF on a Gulfstream platform. The deal is estimated to cost over $1 billion, the report added.