The Centre for Airborne Systems (CABS) is a laboratory of the

Defence Research and Development Organisation The Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) is an agency under the Department of Defence Research and Development in the Ministry of Defence of the Government of India, charged with the military's research and development, head ...

(DRDO) of

India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...

. Located in

Bengaluru Bengaluru, also known as Bangalore (List of renamed places in India#Karnataka, its official name until 1 November 2014), is the Capital city, capital and largest city of the southern States and union territories of India, Indian state of Kar ...

, its primary function is development and evaluation of airborne electronic systems for military applications.

History

CABS was set up in 1991 to lead the Airborne Surveillance Platform (Airawat) project. Its task was to develop airborne electronic systems on a flying platform for early warning, command and control functions. The programme was carried on until 1999 when the flying platform HS 748 crashed in Tamil Nadu killing all the eight people on board from IAF and 4 from DRDO out of which two were from CABS (Mr P Elango and Mr Shaju)

EMB 145 AEW&C project

Embraer Embraer S.A. () is a Brazilian multinational aerospace corporation. It develops and manufactures aircraft and aviation systems, and provides leasing, equipment, and technical support services. Embraer is the third largest producer of civil air ...

and the

Indian Government The Government of India (ISO: Bhārata Sarakāra, legally the Union Government or Union of India or the Central Government) is the national authority of the Republic of India, located in South Asia, consisting of 36 states and union territor ...

have signed a deal for three

Embraer 145 The Embraer ERJ family (for Embraer Regional Jet) are regional jets designed and produced by the Brazilian aerospace company Embraer. The family includes the ERJ 135 (37 passengers), ERJ 140 (44 passengers), and ERJ 145 (50 passen ...

AEW&C ( Airborne Early Warning & Control) jets. The contract includes a comprehensive logistics package comprising training, technical support, spare parts, and ground support equipment. The ERJ 145 platform, currently being used on

Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance ISTAR stands for Military intelligence, intelligence, surveillance, target acquisition, and reconnaissance. In its macroscopic sense, #ISTAR, ISTAR is a practice that links several battlefield functions together to assist a combat force in employ ...

(ISR) missions in Brazil, Mexico and Greece, will join the AEW&C programme under the responsibility of India's Defence Research & Development Organisation (DRDO). On 17 August 2012, India received the first Embraer 145 Airborne Early Warning and Control Aircraft, built with Indian technology. It is claimed as a major breakthrough in mounting an electronic eye in the sky for India. The aircraft is fitted with Indian airborne

Active Electronically Scanned Array An active electronically scanned array (AESA) is a type of phased array antenna, which is a computer-controlled antenna array in which the beam of radio waves can be electronically steered to point in different directions without moving the a ...

(AESA) radar, giving it the capability to detect missiles and hostile fighters at all angles. Programme Director, Christopher was quoted by the media as saying, "The new EMB 145 would have airborne Active Electronic Scanned Array (AESA) radar designed by DRDO’s Bengaluru-based Centre for Airborne Systems (CABS). DRDO will integrate other mission systems in India and deliver the aircraft to the

Indian Air Force The Indian Air Force (IAF) (ISO 15919, ISO: ) is the air force, air arm of the Indian Armed Forces. Its primary mission is to secure Indian airspace and to conduct aerial warfare during armed conflicts. It was officially established on 8 Octob ...

". Dr Elangovan, Chief Controller Research & Development of DRDO, said the aircraft was upgraded to have major capabilities such as "in-fight refuelling system, significant increase in electric and cooling capacity and a comprehensive set of structural changes to allow installation of advanced mission systems."

External links

*
Centre for Air Borne Systems(CABS)
* [https://www.intelligenceonline.com/international-dealmaking/2024/03/21/l3harris-and-thales-in-contention-to-equip-new-indian-spy-plane,110194292-gra L3Harris and Thales in contention to equip new Indian spy plane], Intelligence Online, March 21, 2024 (requires free registration)

References

{{coord missing, Karnataka Defence Research and Development Organisation laboratories Research institutes in Bengaluru Research institutes established in 1991 1991 establishments in Karnataka