Through a statement issued on its social media, India’s Minister of Defence, Rajnath Singh, announced that his department has approved the production of the prototype of its future fifth-generation fighter jet AMCA, which is locally developed. The news comes just weeks after the conflict that has pitted the country against its neighbor Pakistan, after which New Delhi is seeking to considerably reinforce its air capabilities, composed mainly of fourth-generation aircraft of diverse origin, which has been questioned due to a performance initially unfavorable compared to its counterpart’s J-10CE fighters.
Gathering some of the statements from the official communication about the authorization to move forward with the aforementioned prototype: “In a significant effort to enhance India’s indigenous defense capabilities and foster a robust national aerospace industrial ecosystem, Raksha Mantri Shri (Ed. note: the Hindi term for the Minister of Defence) has approved the Execution Model of the Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft (AMCA) Program.”
And it continued afterward as follows: “The Aeronautical Development Agency (ADA) will execute the program through a collaboration with industry. This is an important step to leverage indigenous expertise, capacity, and capability to develop the AMCA prototype, which will mark a major milestone in achieving self-sufficiency in the aerospace sector.” It is worth recalling in that sense that the Indian local industry has already managed to take its first steps in that direction with its LCA Tejas fighter, which is being developed by the company Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL).
Delving into some details of the AMCA program, we can affirm that its development has been underway since the aircraft’s design was approved in 2023, at which time the Indian Cabinet Security Committee gave the green light to a timeline that foresaw the construction of a prototype within three years and its first flight a little over a year after that was completed. Specifically, according to local media, it is a major project that already has a projected cost of around 15 billion rupees, with the construction of five prototypes planned in total.
Reviewing some technical details envisioned for the new aircraft, we can affirm that its design features a twin-engine propulsion system, an estimated weight of 25 tons, and internal weapons bays contributing to the aircraft’s stealth design; which, according to reports, would be capable of carrying 1,500 kg of internal payload. Local experts also speculate on the possibility that it could feature the Netcentric data link system to facilitate connectivity with other force platforms, integrated AI in its sensors to speed up pilot decision-making, and a built-in aircraft monitoring system that would make the required maintenance programs more efficient.
In sum, it is necessary to recall that the aircraft is planned to be jointly produced by the aforementioned HAL and ADA, with a roadmap for the development of two variants of the future AMCA fighter. The first would be called AMCA MK1, which would be characterized by being equipped with U.S.-origin General Electric F414 engines, while the MK2 variant would aim to feature a higher-performance engine to be developed in collaboration with the French company Safran.
Cover image: @DefenceMinIndia on X
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