India has made a significant strategic shift from platform-centric development to a technology-led paradigm in its quest for sixth-generation aerial superiority. Through its Research Centre Imarat (RCI), the Defence Research and Development Organization (DRDO) has issued a clear call as air forces throughout the world advance beyond fifth-generation capabilities.
In December 2025, RCI issued an Expression of Interest (EOI) seeking deep-tech start-ups and Indian private companies to work together on quantum avionic sensors, indicating New Delhi’s desire to rule the skies in the 2040s.
This change occurs at a time when the country’s fifth-generation stealth fighter, the Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft (AMCA), is expected to cost ₹15,000 crore. However, DRDO’s focus goes farther, focusing on artificial intelligence-driven combat, morphing structures, and quantum avionics.
This change occurs at a time when the country’s fifth-generation stealth fighter, the Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft (AMCA), is expected to cost ₹15,000 crore. However, DRDO’s focus goes farther, focusing on artificial intelligence-driven combat, morphing structures, and quantum avionics.
These technologies have the potential to completely transform aerial combat, making outdated systems obsolete and putting India on par with initiatives like the European Future Combat Air System (FCAS)/Global Combat Air Program (GCAP) and the United States’ Next Generation Air Dominance (NGAD).
Quantum inertial navigation systems (QINS) are at the core of this project. These sensors provide centimeter-level accuracy over long periods of time without relying on GPS signals that are susceptible to denial or jamming. Unerring attacks in disputed electromagnetic settings are made possible by quantum variations that use atomic interferometry to retain precision while traditional inertial systems drift over time.
Superiority is further enhanced by quantum magnetometry. These gadgets can identify buried metallic dangers or submerged submarines from stratospheric altitudes by detecting minuscule magnetic field variations. Thus, high-altitude reconnaissance flights could alter strategic monitoring by identifying subterranean bunkers or naval assets without running the danger of low-level infiltration.
Stealth paradigms are further disrupted by quantum radar and lidar. They take advantage of quantum lighting by using entangled photons to break through radar-absorbing materials that confuse classical systems. Designed to avoid conventional detection, stealth warplanes like the US F-35 and China’s J-20 may prove vulnerable, bringing transparency back to the battlefield.
In order to overcome fixed aerodynamic constraints, DRDO is investigating evolving wing technology in addition to sensors. While morphing wings allow for seamless surface flexing, conventional aircraft rely on flaps and slats for changeable performance. This improves fuel efficiency, maneuverability, and cargo capacity in a single aircraft by optimizing lift and drag across subsonic, transonic, and supersonic regimes.
These developments are complemented by self-healing nano-stealth coatings. When metamaterial layers are loaded with healing agent microcapsules, they can automatically repair ablation or scratches caused by hostile fire or hypersonic flight. By keeping low-observable signatures across missions, this lowers maintenance costs and speeds up operations.
By using manned-unmanned teaming (MUM-T), the sixth-generation paradigm transforms the aircraft from lone hunter to swarm orchestrator. One aspect of India’s vision is optional manning, in which pilots operate fleets of devoted wingman drones from a central cockpit. This increases force projection while reducing human vulnerability and interacts flawlessly with the Ghatak stealth unmanned combat air vehicle (UCAV) program.
The inclusion of private business is a change from the traditional “HAL-only” strategy. Using the ₹6,000 crore allotted by the National Quantum Mission, the Ministry of Defence now requires early-stage collaborations. In order to support an ecosystem of domestic suppliers, funds aim to achieve milestones in cryogenic cooling for sensor stability and silicon photonics for quantum chip production.
By 2030, a formal sixth-generation program definition phase is anticipated under this technology-first approach. By then, quantum “brains”—which include AI processors, sensors, and adaptive structures—should be technologically ready enough to be integrated. In line with AMCA’s development, prototypes might appear in the middle of the 2030s.
From a geopolitical standpoint, this puts India in a position to confront regional threats from China and Pakistan, whose air forces lack quantum and adaptive technologies. Beijing’s J-XX sixth-generation ideas are still theoretical, and the tensions in the Indo-Pacific region call for strong, independent capabilities. India’s strategy also improves bilateral relations by emphasizing Atmanirbharta (self-reliance) and possibly utilizing Russian hypersonics expertise.
There are still issues, such as quantum decoherence in stormy conditions and cryogenic miniaturization for use in aircraft. However, RCI’s EOI highlights DRDO’s determination; industry consultations have already produced prototypes. The National Quantum Mission supplies the financial framework, guaranteeing continued R&D in the face of financial limitations.
India’s quantum jump essentially marks the beginning of a new era of aerial supremacy. By establishing the groundwork for high-tech sovereignty by 2040, New Delhi is writing its own technology story rather than being a quick follower. This pivotal moment in 2025, which is based on DRDO’s audacious mandate, is expected to alter the balance of airpower worldwide.
