In response to growing threats from China and Pakistan, India is speeding up the development of its own fifth-generation stealth fighter jet, the Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft (AMCA), under the direction of a high-level committee that wants to accelerate the project by increasing efficiency and involving more private sector participation. Meanwhile, Pakistan is preparing to purchase at least 40 J-35A fifth-generation stealth jets from China, which has already deployed its J-20 jets close to the Indian border.
With an emphasis on increased private sector participation, a high-level group led by Defence Secretary Rajesh Kumar Singh is attempting to increase productivity and reduce production schedules.
This committee is anticipated to give its findings shortly and is composed of representatives from the Aeronautical Development Agency (ADA), Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), and Indian Air Force (IAF).
The AMCA is a swing-role advanced medium combat aircraft developed to provide multi-role capabilities for the Indian Air Force. The program is being expedited to offset the rising stealth and capability gap with enemies like China and Pakistan.
In addition to the AMCA, India is working on the Navy’s Twin-Engine Deck-Based Fighter (TEDBF). With its multi-role design, this aircraft, which is now in the preliminary design review stage, is anticipated to improve maritime defensive capabilities.
Russia has extended its offer to sell India its fifth-generation Su-57E fighter jet, offering local manufacturing and support for India’s AMCA program. This is a substitute for the F-35, which is provided by the United States.
The manufacturing of fourth-generation Tejas planes is delayed, and India must close the capability gap with Pakistan and China, among other issues.
Although both China’s J-35A and India’s Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft (AMCA) are fifth-generation stealth fighters, their capabilities, design philosophies, and operational readiness are very different. A comparison based on important characteristics is shown below:
J-35A and AMCA Comparison
India hopes to join a select few countries with fifth-generation fighter jets thanks to the AMCA project, which was approved by the Cabinet Committee on Security with an initial investment of more than ₹15,000 crore. The only countries with operational fifth-generation fighters at the moment are the US, China, and Russia.
The AMCA will have sophisticated stealth features that will help it avoid adversary detection, such as an internal weapons bay and a low radar cross-section.
It can carry out a variety of tasks, including electronic warfare operations, ground strikes, and air supremacy.
The necessity to address the IAF’s declining fighter squadrons is another factor driving India’s desire for the AMCA. Several squadrons are scheduled to retire in the upcoming years, and the IAF currently operates with fewer squadrons than permitted.
The AMCA will be essential to modernising the IAF’s fleet, as will other domestic initiatives like the TEJAS MK-1A and MK-2.
India is demonstrating its dedication to self-reliance in military production by creating the Twin-Engine Deck-Based Fighter (TEDBF), another indigenous fifth-generation fighter, especially for the Indian Navy.
With the first prototype anticipated by late 2028 and major production scheduled to start by 2033 or 2034, the AMCA has an ambitious development schedule.
GE-F414 engines will power the aircraft at first, but later versions will likely be equipped with more potent 110 kilonewton engines.
India’s strategic emphasis on developing its own defence capabilities to address regional security threats is demonstrated by this project.
