India tests new airborne electronic warfare suite for Tejas Mk 1A

India aims to deploy the new Swayam Raksha Kavach airborne electronic warfare suite in the Tejas Mk 1A light combat aircraft from the end of 2026. (HAL)

India’s Defence Research & Development Organisation (DRDO) is flight-testing its new Swayam Raksha Kavach (SRK) airborne electronic warfare (EW) suite that will be fielded by the Indian Air Force’s (IAF’s) future fleet of Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) Tejas light combat aircraft (LCA) Mk 1A fighter aircraft.

Simultaneously, DRDO has updated its older D-29 EW suite which was developed more than a decade ago for use by IAF Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-29 fighter aircraft.

Development of the SRK suite began in 2021, and it is currently undergoing flight tests using an LCA Mk 1A, a DRDO official told Janes on 30 October on the sidelines of DRDO’s Samanvay 2025 industry summit in Bangalore.

During the two-day summit (held on 29 and 30 October), DRDO transferred several technologies to industry partners. This included the transfer of improved D-29 EW suite-related technologies and intellectual property (IP) held by DRDO’s Combat Aircraft Systems Development and Integration Centre (CASDIC) to a production partner, Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL).

SRK capabilities

Janes understands that the SRK is an evolution of the D-29 EW suite and has improved capabilities.

The suite comprises a radar warning receiver (RWR) integrated into the body of the fighter aircraft and a jammer pod installed on a hardpoint. According to the official, DRDO expects to conclude flight trials of the system by mid-2026, with deployment on the Mk 1A platform from the end of 2026.

According to the official, a second batch of 97 LCA Mk 1A aircraft that were contracted in September 2025 for the IAF are intended to be equipped with the SRK suite and the indigenous Uttam active electronically scanned array (AESA) radar.