August 19, 2014: With DRDO chief Dr. Avinash Chander publicly stating that the first EMB145I airborne early warning and control (AEW&C) platform will be handed over to the Indian Air Force this year for acceptance tests, flight and systems/sensors tests will gather momentum to ensure there are no slippages ahead of operational service from next year. The DRDO has recently tendered for 253 items of ground support equipment for the user trials, final acceptance and handover process. In a parallel thrust, the DRDO and Brazil's Embraer have entered discussions on the possibility of arriving at a derivative of the EMB145I for export to mutually agreed friendly countries based on a prospective business plan that can be hammered out between both sides on the lines of the arrangement Embraer had earlier with another radar house. What makes things easier is that the structural AESA with dummy electronics is certified for airworthiness by the Brazilian certification agency, ANAC, equivalent of FAA in USA. The last of the three EMB145I modified platforms will arrive from Brazil later this year and join the flight test programme.