Indian Air Force (IAF) has signed a nearly Rs 8,000 crore deal with state-run Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL) for the extension of its programmes integrating all civil and defence radars across the country. The IAF has already established five nodes of the IACCS (Integrated Air Command and Control System) in the western sector, bordering Pakistan.
Under the proposed expansion phase, four new nodes and ten subnodes will come up. While three nodes will be in eastern, central and southern India, the fourth will be for the strategically important Andaman and Nicobar Island. The cabinet committee on security has recently cleared the proposal for the Rs 8,000 crore project. Once the system is in place, the air headquarters will get a composite air situation picture since it will be integrating Air Force, Army, Navy and civilian radars.