AWACS NOD AFTER PAKISTAN ALERT 

New Delhi, June 30 :    New Delhi, June 30:  Apprehending possible missile and air attacks by Pakistan, the Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) has permitted the defence ministry to buy at least three state-of-the-art Airborne Warning and Control Systems (Awacs) aircraft. The CCS gave the go-ahead a couple of days ago after discussions with the three service chiefs. Both the military and civilian establishments of the defence ministry have been asked to speed up the process of acquiring the aircraft. Finance minister Yashwant Sinha is believed to have assured the Prime Minister that funds would not be a problem. The Awacs are highly sophisticated flying radar stations. They are an early warning system mounted on large aircraft and can provide advance input on hostile aircraft and missile activity. Government sources told The Telegraph that the three Awacs would be acquired on ??wet lease?? from Western countries. Though the defence ministry is yet to decide from whom to buy the aircraft, sources said the countries likely to be tapped are the US, the UK, France, Germany and Israel. The ministry had earlier drawn up a plan to manufacture its own version of an early warning system, but the project does not seem to have taken off. A top defence expert said the Seattle-based Boeing manufactures the most sophisticated Awacs. The company has supplied several such aircraft to many European countries and also to Israel, Egypt, Japan and Singapore. Although Boeing has refused to transfer the Awacs technology to any buyer country, Israel has its own version, called the Falcon. The US Air Force and Navy use the latest variants ? the E-2C and the E-3 series of Sentry Awacs ? which are jamming-resistant and have high-capacity radar stations. The Sentry is used by the French and British air forces. Some Awacs aircraft were used during the Kosovo strikes. The CCS, comprising the Prime Minister and the ministers for home, defence, external affairs and finance and the defence establishment have been forced to consider acquiring the Awacs after reports indicated Pakistan could extend the war beyond Kargil. Defence experts said the Awacs usually fly, and give the best results, at an altitude of 30,000 to 35,000 feet. Their radar can spot any low-flying aircraft or missile within a range of 250 km. But one defence expert, while acknowledging that Awacs can be ??tremendously effective?? in war situations, said they would prove ??totally useless?? in mountainous regions like Kargil. ??The radar mounted on the fuselage has to make a clear distinction of low-flying objects. The radar cannot penetrate mountains because of shadows and complex reflection from mountain surfaces,?? he said. Bofors ban off The Centre has lifted the ban on Celsius Corporation of Sweden, makers of the Bofors gun, to ensure speedy procurement of ammunition and spares for the 155 mm Howitzers, the mainstay of the army in Kargil.Celsius Corporation has sent a high-level delegation to Delhi for negotiations, official sources said today.