India Pushes Indigenous 450-km Surveillance Radar Programme to Strengthen Air Defence Grid

India is moving to strengthen its long-range air-surveillance network with a new indigenous radar programme aimed at detecting aircraft, cruise missiles, ballistic missiles, stealth targets and drones at distances beyond 450 kilometres. Recent reports indicate that the Indian Air Force has issued a request for information for a next-generation Long Range Surveillance Radar, signalling the start of a fresh capability upgrade rather than an immediate procurement contract. The move reflects a broader effort to replace ageing radar systems, some of which date back to the mid-1970s, with more mobile and intelligent sensors suited to modern high-threat airspace.

What makes the proposed system especially significant is its expected architecture. According to the RFI details, the Air Force is seeking a mobile, vehicle-mounted, 4D electronically scanning phased-array radar based on gallium nitride, or GaN, technology, with 360-degree coverage and the ability to operate in harsh conditions from minus 40 to 50 degrees Celsius and at altitudes up to 16,000 feet. The radar is also expected to automatically classify large, medium and small fixed-wing aircraft, rotary-wing aircraft and UAVs, while tracking threats up to 40 km in altitude.

A notable feature in the requirement is a co-located X-band radar for drone detection. That addition matters because smaller drones, loitering munitions and low-flying targets often present a different detection challenge from conventional aircraft. By pairing the main long-range surveillance radar with an X-band element and a fused display, the Air Force appears to be aiming for a layered sensor package that improves both early warning and close classification of smaller aerial threats. This points to a shift from traditional radar coverage toward a more integrated anti-drone and missile-surveillance approach.

The proposed radar also fits into India’s wider air-defence modernisation drive under Aatmanirbhar Bharat. In March 2026, the Ministry of Defence signed a ₹1,950-crore contract with Bharat Electronics Limited for two indigenous Mountain Radars for the Indian Air Force, while in March 2025 it signed a ₹2,906-crore contract for Ashwini low-level transportable radars. Earlier, in March 2023, the ministry also signed contracts worth over ₹3,700 crore with BEL, including one for the indigenous Arudhra medium-power radar. Together, those programmes show that the 450-km radar push is part of an evolving radar ecosystem rather than a standalone project.

Technically, the new requirement marks a step above many of India’s currently fielded indigenous systems. PIB has described Arudhra as a 4D multifunction phased-array radar for surveillance, detection and tracking, while earlier official material described it as capable of volumetric surveillance up to 400 km. The new long-range requirement pushes that envelope further, with higher reach, better altitude coverage, drone-focused X-band support and a stronger emphasis on low-radar-cross-section targets. In effect, India appears to be designing a radar tier meant to sit above existing medium-range and low-level systems, extending warning time and improving the quality of the air picture available to commanders.

The strategic context is equally important. As drone warfare, standoff missile attacks and stealthier airborne threats become more prominent, radar performance is increasingly about target discrimination and survivability, not just raw range. The Air Force’s reported emphasis on GaN-based 4D radar technology suggests a push for higher power efficiency, better thermal performance and stronger detection against complex threats. For India, that is as much an industrial story as an operational one: if the programme moves ahead into acquisition and development, it would deepen domestic capability in one of the most critical layers of national air defence.

Sources:
https://indianmasterminds.com/news/mod-indigenous-450km-surveillance-radar-x-band-drone-detection-india-197924/
https://www.tribuneindia.com/news/india/iaf-plans-advanced-long-range-surveillance-radars-to-strengthen-air-defence-network/
https://www.pib.gov.in/PressReleasePage.aspx?PRID=2247262&lang=1&reg=1
https://www.pib.gov.in/PressReleasePage.aspx?PRID=2110849
https://www.pib.gov.in/PressReleseDetailm.aspx?PRID=1910065
https://www.pib.gov.in/PressReleasePage.aspx?PRID=1481157