2 verifications about Indian Air Force Indian Air Force ×
“A former DRDO chairman/chief said that one Indian Air Force Netra Mk-1 AEW&C aircraft has been upgraded to the Netra Mk-1A standard with a GaN-based AESA radar, increasing detection range from about 240–300 km to about 450–500 km, and that plans call for upgrading nine aircraft in total (three existing aircraft plus six new aircraft).”
The evidence supports a planned Netra Mk-1A program, not a clearly documented completed upgrade of one existing aircraft. Credible reporting indicates GaN-based radar and an expanded fleet of six additional aircraft, but the specific attribution to a former DRDO chief, the claim that one Mk-1 is already upgraded, and the assertion that all three existing aircraft will be converted into a nine-aircraft upgraded fleet are not firmly substantiated.
“ORCA (Omni Role Combat Aircraft) was envisioned as the Indian Air Force’s land-based twin-engine variant of the naval TEDBF (Twin Engine Deck Based Fighter).”
Available evidence consistently describes ORCA as the Indian Air Force’s land-based twin-engine derivative of the naval TEDBF concept. The key qualifier is that ORCA was a proposed or studied aircraft, not a fielded or formally adopted one. Later uncertainty about Air Force interest does not change the original design intent.