Why in the news?
The Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) has handed over the Final Operational Clearance (FOC) certificate of the indigenous Netra Airborne Early Warning & Control (AEW&C) system to the Indian Air Force (IAF). The system had received Initial Operational Clearance (IOC) in 2017.
What is Netra AEW&C?
- Netra is an Airborne Early Warning and Control (AEW&C) system developed indigenously by DRDO’s Centre for Airborne Systems (CABS) in collaboration with the IAF and Indian industry.
- Mounted on a modified Embraer ERJ-145 aircraft.
- Functions as a “flying radar”, providing airborne surveillance, early warning, command and battle management.
Key Features
- 360° situational awareness through networked surveillance.
- Detects and tracks: Fighter aircraft, Cruise missiles, Drones/UAVs, Helicopters, and Surface targets.
- Provides: Airspace surveillance, Threat detection, Target tracking, Battle management, and Command and control support.
- Enhances interoperability with ground-based and airborne assets.
Prelims Pointers
- AEW&C: Airborne Early Warning and Control system for surveillance and battle management.
- FOC (Final Operational Clearance): Certification that a defence system is fully operational and combat-ready.
- IOC (Initial Operational Clearance): Limited operational induction after successful initial trials.
- CABS: Centre for Airborne Systems, a DRDO laboratory responsible for airborne surveillance systems.
[2025] With reference to Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs), consider the following statements:
I. All types of UAVs can do vertical landing.
II. All types of UAVs can do automated hovering.
III. All types of UAVs can use battery only as a source of power supply.
How many of the statements given above are correct?
[A] Only one
[B] Only two
[C] All the three
[D] None