In a first for India’s private defence sector, Adani Defence & Aerospace and the Defence Research and Development Organisation have signed a landmark agreement to jointly develop AEW&C-MKII, India’s next-generation Airborne Early Warning and Control programme for the Indian Air Force, placing a private company at the centre of one of the most technically demanding platforms in modern air warfare for the first time.
What the Agreement Covers
Under the deal, Adani Defence and DRDO will jointly develop, manufacture and integrate the airborne mission systems on six modified Airbus A321 aircraft earmarked for the IAF. The scope extends well beyond initial development, encompassing integrated logistics, maintenance, repair and overhaul, and technical support for up to 30 years, a lifecycle commitment that underscores how central AEW&C platforms are expected to remain to India’s air defence architecture for decades to come. Induction of the AEW&C-MKII fleet is planned for 2032-33.
The programme makes Adani Defence & Aerospace the first private Indian company entrusted with the development, integration and lifecycle support of an airborne mission platform of this scale and complexity, a milestone officials are framing as a significant marker in India’s broader push toward defence self-reliance under the Aatmanirbhar Bharat initiative.
Why AEW&C Platforms Matter
Airborne Early Warning and Control aircraft function as flying radar stations, described within defence circles as the “eyes in the skies,” providing long-range surveillance, early threat detection and real-time command and control that let air forces make faster, better-informed operational decisions during both routine monitoring and active conflict. Currently, only five countries, the United States, France, Israel, China and Sweden, have developed indigenous AEW&C capabilities of their own; AEW&C-MKII is intended to place India among that select group rather than leaving it dependent on imported systems for one of its most strategically sensitive military capabilities.
The new platform will be integrated with the Indian Air Force’s Integrated Air Command & Control System, the nationwide command-and-control network that links surveillance, air defence and operational assets in real time, meaning AEW&C-MKII’s contribution will extend beyond its own onboard sensors to strengthening the coherence of India’s broader air defence picture.
Building on an Existing Foundation
The collaboration combines DRDO’s institutional expertise in defence research and mission systems with Adani Defence’s capabilities in advanced manufacturing, systems integration and lifecycle support. The programme builds on DRDO’s earlier Netra AEW&CS system, with the Mark II variant representing a substantial capability upgrade over its predecessor and marking DRDO’s continued push to indigenise this technology rather than rely on foreign platforms for India’s long-range airborne surveillance needs.
The agreement follows the government’s approval late last year of a roughly ₹20,000 crore ($2.2 billion) AWACS project aimed at developing next-generation airborne warning and control systems domestically, with Adani Defence having been positioned as one of the leading bidders for the broader Indian Air Force programme even before this specific agreement was formalised.
What It Signals for India’s Defence Sector
For India’s private defence manufacturing base, the deal represents a notable expansion beyond the domains, missiles, drones, small arms and components, where private players have typically operated to date, into full-scale mission-critical aircraft systems development traditionally reserved for public sector entities like Hindustan Aeronautics Limited and Bharat Electronics. Officials involved in the programme say AEW&C-MKII is expected to significantly enhance the IAF’s situational awareness, force coordination and network-centric operational capability once inducted, at a time when India’s evolving regional security environment has placed renewed emphasis on strengthening indigenous long-range surveillance and early-warning capacity.
