India must destroy Pakistan’s ‘eye in the sky’ to win war against Pakistan, Indian S-400 is on high alert
India-Pakistan war: The possibility of a full-scale India-Pakistan war has increased exponentially over the past few days as it plans to retaliate following the barbaric Pahalgam terror attack that left 28 civilians dead earlier this week. While India is undoubtedly a militarily superior force, experts believe that Indian forces must take out the deep strike capability of the Pakistan Air Force, which is primarily bolstered by its Erieye Airborne Early Warning and Control System (AWACS).
According to military experts, India must neutralize Pakistan’s AWACS radar system to significantly affect the Pakistan Air Force’s deep strike capabilities, and this must be done within the first few hours of an India-Pakistan war scenario. Experts believe that after losing AWACS, PAF will find it difficult to coordinate with the country’s other armed forces, including the Navy and the Pakistan Army, giving an unsurpassable advantage to India in the potential conflict.
Erieye AWACS radar gives edge to Pakistan
Developed by Sweden’s Saab Electronic Defence Systems, the Saab 2000 Erieye is an AWACS strategic aircraft, which means it can track its its target from a distance of several hundred kilometers, and provides the PAF with the capability of real-time command and control. Often called the ‘eyes and ears’ of the Pakistan Air Force, the Saab Erieye radar system is capable of carrying surveillance missions deep inside the Indian territory.
The aircraft mounted radar system can scan the Indian airspace and provide advance information to the PAF about the fighter jets and missile strikes being planned by the Indian Air Force, which will give Pakistan time to mount a defense and plan a retaliatory response, according to experts.
How India could neutralize Saab Erieye AWACS system
As per experts, India can use its advanced air defense systems like Barak-8ER and S-400 Triumf, both of which are long-range surface-to-air missile defense systems with a range between 250 to 400 kilometers, to neutralize any Saab Erieye AWACS aircraft as soon as it is activated by Pakistan.
The Barak-8ER and S-400 Triumf give India the capability to attack high value targets inside Pakistan, and also enable the IAF to venture into Pakistani airspace and take out strategic military targets. India’s advanced air defence systems could help curb Pakistan’s retaliatory abilities by a significant margin and reduce the risk to Indian fighter jets which could potentially be deployed in a war-like scenario between the two countries.
Pakistan Air Force would be crippled
If India manages to neutralize the Saab 2000 Erieye system, it would essentially cripple the PAF’s war management network as it would then have to rely on ground-based radar for mounting any operations in the rough mountainous terrain. This will also reduce the PAF’s ability to launch attacks deep inside the Indian territory, while IAF warplanes could then easily fly into Pakistan and take out strategic targets with hypersonic missiles.
Experts believe that the Indian Air Force needs to change its mindset and strategy from defensive to offensive, and a key step in that direction would be destroy Pakistan AWACS systems within the initial phase of a potential India-Pakistan war.
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