Indian Navy Eyes Deck-Based AWACS for Future Aircraft Carriers

SOURCE: AFI

The Indian Navy is setting its sights on enhancing its maritime surveillance and command capabilities by planning to integrate deck-based Airborne Warning and Control System (AWACS) aircraft into its future aircraft carrier fleet. As of March 06, 2025, this move aligns with the Navy’s Vision 2047, aiming to bolster its operational reach in the Indo-Pacific amid rising regional threats, particularly from China’s expanding naval presence.

With its current carriers, INS Vikramaditya and INS Vikrant, relying on the Kamov Ka-31 helicopter for airborne early warning (AEW), the Navy seeks a more robust, fixed-wing AWACS solution capable of carrier takeoff and landing (CTOL) to provide 360-degree radar coverage, extended range, and enhanced battle management. Several aircraft stand out as potential candidates for modification to meet these dual requirements of deck-based operations and AWACS functionality.

The Navy’s push for a deck-based AWACS reflects the limitations of the Ka-31, which, while effective with its E-801M Oko radar (detecting aircraft at 150 km and ships at 200 km), offers only 240-degree coverage and lacks the endurance and payload of fixed-wing platforms. Operating from the Navy’s planned third carrier—potentially a 65,000-ton CATOBAR (Catapult Assisted Take-Off But Arrested Recovery) vessel—these AWACS would serve as force multipliers, providing real-time situational awareness, directing fighter operations, and tracking low-flying threats like cruise missiles over vast oceanic expanses.

Potential Candidates for Deck-Based AWACS

1. Northrop Grumman E-2D Hawkeye : The E-2D Hawkeye, the U.S. Navy’s premier carrier-based AWACS, is a natural benchmark. With its AN/APY-9 radar offering 360-degree coverage and a detection range exceeding 550 km, it excels in overland and maritime surveillance, tracking small targets like cruise missiles at 185 km. Designed for CATOBAR operations, its folding wings and reinforced airframe suit carrier decks. The Indian Navy expressed interest in six E-2C Hawkeye 2000 variants in 2009, though the deal stalled due to compatibility with Vikrant’s STOBAR (Short Take-Off But Arrested Recovery) configuration. A CATOBAR carrier could revive this option, though modifications for India-specific systems and integration with indigenous fighters like the TEDBF would be needed. Cost (around $200 million per unit) and U.S. export approvals remain hurdles.
2. Bell-Boeing V-22 Osprey (AEW Variant) : The V-22 Osprey, a tiltrotor aircraft, offers a hybrid option. While primarily a transport, a proposed AEW variant with a radar pod (e.g., Lockheed Martin’s Vigilance system) could provide 360-degree coverage up to 300 km. Its vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) capability suits STOBAR carriers like Vikrant, avoiding CATOBAR retrofits. The U.S. Navy explored this concept in the 1990s, and India could collaborate with Bell-Boeing to develop a naval AWACS version. Challenges include limited payload compared to fixed-wing options and high modification costs, but its flexibility across carrier types is a unique advantage.

A deck-based AWACS would transform the Navy’s carrier battle groups, extending their strike range and situational awareness beyond the Ka-31’s 2-3 hour endurance. X posts from naval analysts highlight the E-2D as the “gold standard,” but indigenous or hybrid solutions like the Netra or V-22 resonate with India’s self-reliance goals. The choice hinges on the Navy’s third carrier design—CATOBAR favoring the E-2D or E-7, STOBAR leaning toward the V-22 or a modified Netra.

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