India declares Netra Mk 1 airborne early warning fleet fully operational
India’s Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) has declared the country’s airborne early warning fleet fully operational.
The milestone came on 25 June in Bengaluru, where the Indian air force’s fleet of Netra Mk 1 jets received final operational clearance (FOC) from the DRDO. Within India’s defence system, the FOC certificate signifies a system is combat ready after completing all trials and evaluations.
The DRDO describes the Netra Mk 1 fleet as “a major boost to the nation’s airborne surveillance and network-centric warfare capabilities”.
“It represents a landmark achievement in India’s journey towards self-reliance in advanced aerospace and defence technologies,” the Indian defence ministry says.
Despite now achieving the FOC certification, India’s Netra Mk 1 fleet has been flying frontline missions for several years, after achieving initial operational clearance in 2017.
The type supported India’s May 2025 airstrikes into Pakistan, according to India’s deputy chief of the air staff, Air Marshal Awadhesh Kumar Bharti, who spoke at the FOC ceremony in Bengaluru.
Those strikes, designed by New Delhi as Operation Sindoor, kicked off a brief air war between the rival neighbours. Pakistan downed several Indian fighter jets during that engagement, with losses believed to include at least one Dassault Aviation Rafale.
The indigenously produced Netra Mk 1 is housed in an Embraer ERJ-145 regional jet. The aircraft uses a dorsal-mounted active electronically scanned array (AESA) radar developed in-house by the DRDO’s Centre for Airborne Systems laboratory.
Three of the jets are in service with the Indian air force, which also operates three Ilyushin Il-76 heavy transports configured for the AEW mission. These use an Israeli-made Elta Systems EL/W-2090 AESA radar.
Last year, New Delhi ordered six more ERJ-145-based Netra aircraft. This new tranche of jets has been dubbed the Mk 1A and will feature improved sensors and a wider field of scan coverage.
A follow-on Netra Mk 2 is in development, based on the Airbus A321 passenger jet.
That project, which received approval from New Delhi last year, is projected to cost roughly INR190 billion ($2 billion). The Netra Mk 2 will also use an indigenously developed main radar that delivers greater scan range, supplemented by additional sensors for a wide field of coverage.
The aircraft were purchased secondhand from Air India, with the DRDO, Airbus Defence & Space, and Indian conglomerate Adani participating.
A more-advanced Netra Mk 3 is also being considered, with the goal of achieving full 360° radar coverage.
New Delhi is reportedly exploring Airbus’s A330 passenger jet as the base for the Mk 3.
