It is designed to provide the Indian Air Force with a strong platform for real-time situational awareness, threat detection, and control systems.
New Delhi: The Indian Air Force has been continuously working to strengthen its aerial surveillance capabilities. The Netra MkII, being developed by DRDO, is an important step in this direction. It is important to note that this system is an advanced version of Netra MkI. It is designed to provide the Indian Air Force with a strong platform for real-time situational awareness, threat detection, and control systems.
It is worth mentioning that this system will be mounted on six Airbus A321 aircraft acquired from Air India.
All you need to know Netra MkII:
- Netra MkII can monitor up to 300 degrees.
- This coverage is achieved by combining a primary radar with an additional radar mounted on the aircraft’s nose
- Not only that, this radar is based on the indigenous Uttam AESA radar and uses Gallium Nitride (GaN) technology.
- This has significantly enhanced the radar’s power, range, and resolution.
- The system is capable of detecting targets over a distance of 400 km
- Reports state that this range could even extend from 450 to 600 kilometers.
- The advanced capabilities of Netra MkII are not limited to surveillance alone.
- The system can also detect low-visibility threats such as stealth aircraft, drones, and ballistic missiles.
Netra MkII will function as an airborne command center, capable of guiding fighter aircraft during combat operations, providing real-time target data, and situational awareness. The system has a special ability to detect and track ballistic missiles, which will also enhance India’s Ballistic Missile Defence (BMD) capabilities.
