India plans to buy three airborne early warning and control (AEW&C) aircrafts A-50 in Russia, a source in Russian governmental military and industrial commission told ITAR-TASS on Friday.
In 2003 India has already ordered three such warplanes and the contract was fulfilled in 2010.
“India is mulling possible delivery of another three AEW&C aircrafts, talks are on now,” the commission’s source said. He did not specify a timeline planned for a deal to strike.
The delivery of AEW&C aircrafts is planned “in the same configuration” as under the agreement in 2003, he said.
Meanwhile, the source added that after the A-50 delivery a contract for their maintenance was signed with India, “warplanes pass it successfully with assistance of Russian specialists.”
A-50 built on the base of a military transport airplane Ilyushin Il-76MD was brought into service in 1989. AEW&C aircrafts A-50 are used to detect and track air targets and surface vessels, warn automated systems of command posts and to control airplanes in sighting.