AESA radar sale: US decision on Nov 21

If cleared, India will be the first country to be offered the radar.

The hangover of US sanctions following the 1998 nuclear tests continues to make New Delhi apprehensive of choosing to purchase American weapons and military hardware. The inclusion of the AESA radar as part of the US offer of fighter aircraft to the IAF will be a clear-cut indication from Washington that it recognises India’s concerns and is willing to offer it a ‘‘safety net’’ in the form of sensitive equipment.

Sources at the US Embassy here told The Indian Express that the inclusion of the APG-79 AESA radar will effectively offset New Delhi’s fear of sanctions. The radar’s uniqueness is its ability to allow a fighter pilot to float between air-to-air and air-to-ground modes in near real time.

The AESA radar is the only major sub-system yet to be cleared by the Bush administration for sale to India as part of the offer of 126 fighters. Every other part of the offer has been pushed through Congress.

The Pentagon’s proposal, made last year, is currently under consideration by the US Congress. The US government’s decision communicated by the Undersecretary of Defence (Policy) Eric Edelman to Defence Secretary Shekhar Dutt. The announcement will be made at a meeting of the Defence Policy Group (DPG) in Washington.

Apache on the block too

As part of the IAF’s need for 80 new attack helicopters, US will soon put on offer its most lethal chopper, the AH-64 Apache Longbow. The helicopter was used extensively in Gulf War I and is deployed in large numbers in Iraq by US forces. The IAF is in the market for light and agile assault helicopters for possible use in counter-insurgency operations. The indigenous Light Combat Helicopter (LCH), to be built by HAL, will take at least another decade to see the light of day. —ENS