Kicking off a programme to enhance surveillance capabilities, the Indian Air Force (IAF) on Wednesday announced that it will retrofit Airbus A321 commercial aircraft with ‘Airborne Early Warning and Control’ (AEW&C) systems.In military terminology, such aircraft provide a live feed of enemy aircraft and ground-based threats to IAF pilots in the air and to controllers on the ground.India had earlier developed an indigenous AEW&C capability using Embraer aircraft for the first version.The Ministry of Defence today said Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) has signed two major contracts with industry partners for the next version of AEW&C using Airbus aircraft. The Airbus planes are larger than Embraers and will allow greater endurance.IAF already has six Airbus A321 aircraft in its fleet, which were procured from Air India prior to the airline’s disinvestment.The ministry said Centre for Airborne Systems (CABS), DRDO, has signed a contract with AI Engineering Services Limited (AIESL), New Delhi, for converting six A321 aircraft from commercial to basic configuration. This will pave the way for the development and production of the Airborne Early Warning & Control (AEW&C) Mark-II programme.A separate contract was signed with Adani Defence Systems and Technologies Ltd (ADSTL), Ahmedabad, to engage the company as Development-cum-Production Partner (DcPP) for the surveillance systems.Under the programme, DRDO and CABS will deliver enhanced endurance, advanced airborne surveillance, secure communication, improved situational awareness, and enhanced command and control capabilities. This is expected to significantly boost air defence capabilities and help neutralise threats across extended ranges.CABS and ADSTL will be responsible for integrating the surveillance systems on the modified aircraft. They will also carry out flight testing of the aircraft along with IAF to obtain certification from airworthiness agencies — Centre for Military Airworthiness and Certification (CEMILAC) and Directorate General of Aeronautical Quality Assurance (DGAQA).The contracts were signed by the Director of CABS with the CEO of AIESL and Head of Airborne Platforms at ADSTL, in the presence of Defence Secretary Rajesh Kumar Singh, who is also Secretary, Department of Defence R&D and Chairman, DRDO, in New Delhi.