11 Nov 2009 8ak: Pakistan Air Force has taken delivery of the first of its four Saab 2000 based airborne early warning (AEW) and control aircraft from Sweden on Tuesday. The deal for the four AEW aircraft was signed between Pakistan and Saab Microwave Systems in 2006. Incidentally, Pakistan is the first buyer of Saab early warning and control aircraft system.
According to an official announcement, the aircraft landed at one of main operating bases, marking a major milestone in PAF’s overall modernisation plan. The induction of Swedish system, PAF has become one of the few air forces in the world to have Airborne Early Warning capability.
Besides detecting high- and medium-altitude aircraft, this state-of-the-art system is also capable of detecting low-level flying objects over land and sea at extended ranges. The system is capable of picking even the surface targets over the sea. By virtue of these features, PAF would be able to boost its operational capability manifold by achieving requisite early warning for efficient and meaningful air defence of its airspace.
The Erieye AEW&C mission system radar is an active, phased-array, pulse-Doppler sensor that can feed onboard operator architecture or downlink data to a ground-based air defence network. Typical detection range against fighter-sized targets is approximately 350 km, in a 150° broadside sector, both sides of the aircraft.
India also inducted a similar Israeli AWACS (Airborne Warning and Control system) platform arrived in India in May 2009 on a Russian plane.
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