New Delhi. The Defence Ministry will be seeking approval from Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) for the indigenous development of Fifth Generation Fighter Aircraft (FGFA) which has full support of the Indian Air Force (IAF).

The indication for an indigenous FGFA came from the RKS Bhadauria soon after he took over as the Chief of Air Staff.

The approval is being sought for the detailed design and prototype development of the advanced medium combat aircraft (AMCA) by early next year.

The twin-engine AMCA will basically combine advanced stealth, supercruise (the capability to achieve supersonic cruise speeds without the use of afterburners), super-manoeuverability, data fusion and multi-sensor integration with AESA (active electronically scanned array) radars.

The development of this aircraft is extremely complex and costly, with the American F/A-22 Raptors and F-35 Lightning-II Joint Strike Fighters being the only fully-operational ones around the globe at present. “Both the Chinese J-20 and the Russian Sukhoi PAK-FA do not have the requisite super-cruise and stealth capabilities,” said sources in the know.