In a significant boost to India’s defence, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh has approved the “execution model” for a mega project to indigenously develop a fifth-generation deep penetration Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft (AMCA) for the Indian Air Force. The ambitious project aims to build a medium-weight, deep-penetration fighter jet with advanced stealth features. The development comes against the backdrop of the high-stakes aerial confrontation between India and Pakistan, which saw comparisons between India’s Rafale and Pakistan’s J-10C, and amid aggressive global pitches for stealth platforms like the US F-35 and the Russian Su-57.
The AMCA will combine fifth-generation stealth technology with elements of 5.5 and even sixth-generation advancements, making it an ideal aircraft for modern warfare.
The project is estimated to cost around ₹15,000 crore. The Aeronautical Development Agency (ADA) will lead the AMCA project in collaboration with private industry partners.
While the Defence Ministry has not given any exact timeline, it is expected that the AMCA will be ready by 2031 and fly by 2035.
“As a significant step towards enhancing India’s indigenous defence capabilities and fostering a robust domestic aerospace industrial ecosystem, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh has approved the Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft (AMCA) programme execution model,” it said.
The AMCA is expected to have several state-of-the-art features such as sensor fusion, internal weapon bay, advanced avionics and supercruise capability.
A 25-tonne twin-engine aircraft, the AMCA will have an internal fuel tank of 6.5 tonnes capacity. Its advanced stealth features will enable it to take on new and developing challenges in modern warfare.
The fifth-generation stealth fighter jet will have an electronic pilot powered by artificial intelligence (AI) for advanced decision-making. According to a report, it also features a Netcentric Warfare System for real-time combat coordination, an internal weapon bay for multiple weapons and integrated vehicle health management for predictive maintenance. The fighter jet will also assist in complex combat situations and provide seamless coordination with unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs).
According to a report in the Indian Express, the internal weapon bay can house four long-range air-to-air missiles with a payload of 1,500 kg and multiple precision-guided munitions.
The fifth-generation AMCA aircraft are different from the Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) and have a lower electromagnetic signature, making it difficult for enemy radars to detect.
With the AMCA, India has joined the elite list of countries that have developed fifth-generation stealth fighter aircraft. The United States has the F-22 Raptor and F-35A Lightning II, China has the J-20 Mighty Dragon and Russia has the Sukhoi Su-57.