PAF Takes Delivery Of 4th SAAB-2000 ERIEYE AEW & C AIRCRAFT
SAAB ‘s Erieye AEW& C aircraft has an S-band active electronically scanned array (AESA) radar. It has a range of 450 km and altitude coverage of 20 km (65,000 ft). The Erieye can horizontally monitor an area of over 500,000 sq.km. Its range at sea is 350 km, but can track targets as small as missiles in the area. The SAAB 2000 aircraft offers an endurance of over 9.5 hours, maximum range of more than 3600km, cruise speed of 340 knots, and service ceiling of 30,000 ft.
Military Intelligence indicate that the Pakistan Air Force (PAF) has taken delivery of its fourth SAAB 2000 Erieye AEW&C aircraft. On 18 May 2020, SAAB had announced the contract for a $160.5 million US – secretive deal with an undisclosed buyer for its Erieye airborne early warning and control (AEW&C) system. SAAB said that it will deliver the order from 2020 to 2023. SAAB had not revealed the client, stating “due to circumstances concerning the product and customer, further information about the customer will not be announced.”
As an undisclosed customer of SAAB 2000 Erieye AEW&C Pakistan, had acquired three systems sometime between 2017 and 2019. Then there was a follow on order in 2017 and all deliveries were in by 2018, taking the tally to six. However three aircrafts were written off during a terror attack on the airbase housing these assets. Now they have the 4th aircraft. However sources add that two of the damaged aircrafts have been made serviceable after extensive repairs. So Pakistan may be having 6 such aircrafts.
What needs to be admired is the speed with which PAF made the decision to augment this important force multiplier to match the Indian AWAC capability. When IAF jets had entered the Pakistani airspace and destroyed a terror camp in Balakot on February 26, the Pakistani surveillance system did not have any inkling about it. As reported Pakistan’s radars were jammed through the electronic warfare system the Indian jets were equipped with. Pakistan’s military establishment has since taken quick efforts to bolster its defences.
India on the other hand needs around four squadrons or 48 AEW& C aircrafts to cover its entire air border including Andamans & Nicobar 24×7. Out of this we have just have three based on Embraer ERJ 145 jets.Three more are said to be in the pipeline. What is urgently required is to try out the same system on SARAS2 indigenous light transport jet. Then we can go in for the rest of 36 AEW& C systems.
The AWAC system based on a 50 ton aircraft also needs to be hastened so at the earliest we have a minimum of 18 ( ideal will be 36 ) providing us both full offensive and defensive capability
Another thing is that we need to raise the stake for those trading in Arms with Pakistan. India should refuse to do any Arms trade with such country and also restrict its other trades as far as possible. This delivery of this critical military equipment to Pakistan should lead to consequence for SAAB who is in the contention for the lucrative $14 billion MMRCA deal to manufacture 114 (and maybe further in the future) fighter jets for the IAF in India. All other deals both civil and military with Sweden needs to be reviewed.
