An Indian Air Force (IAF) Embraer transport aircraft with Airborne Early Warning and Control (AEW&C) function today successfully carried out Air to Air Refuelling (AAR), to fly a long duration flight beyond the aircraft’s stated endurance.
“It is also the first time that the AAR has been carried out on the Embraer platform,” the IAF said in a statement.
“IAF is one of the few Air Forces in the world to demonstrate this capability and the Embraer AEW&C has also proved its prowess in the category,” an official statement from the Indian Air Force said.
“A mere 10 minute in-flight refuelling can generate additional four hours of flying endurance. The achievement has given a tremendous boost to Indian Air Force’s operational capability,” it said.
The AEW&C System is a system of systems populated with state-of-the art Active Electronically Scanned Radar, Secondary Surveillance Radar, Electronic and Communication Counter Measures, LOS (Line of Sight) and beyond LOS data link, voice communication system and self protection suite, built on an Emb-145 platform, having an air to air refuelling capability to enhance surveillance time. It is mounted on a Brazilian Embraer-145 jet.
