V.S. Verba - Dr.Sc.(Eng.), professor, Honored Scientist of the Russian Federation, general director - general designer of JSC «Concern «Vega»

Currently, one of the most sought-after and surging technologies is geographically-distributed information system. Joined into a unified network, ditributed systems allow to obtain brand new characteristics of volume and speed of information processing, sppeding up its acces time, enhance te information accuracy and veracity. Generally, a network centric system includes a mix of satellite recoinessance and navigational systems, airborne early warning and control (AEW&C) systems, reconnaissance/strike complexes, information systems, anti-ship weapons, miscellaneous missile systems, recoinassance and strike unmanned aerial vehicles etc. Network centric warfare is, essentially, exploiting the advantages in information support for achieving military superiority. Such superiority requires creation of 'network centric' links between the participants and communalisation of geographically distributed combat units. The merit of full access to operation scene is in enhancing action coordination, sppeding up reaction time of the command, and, subsequentionally, improving effectivenes of achieving mission goal. By now, the question of creation of global network-centric information-sontrol system for realisation of the doctrine of non-contact warfare is raised already. Within the frame of the doctrine, an AEW&C systems becomes one of the key informational and processing nodes, which imposes high requirements for reliability and survivability in a warzone. Moreover, such AEW&C systems show high potential in peacetime as well. The goal of the article is to study the major trends for development of AEW&C as a part of network-centric information-control systems.