New Delhi: In the wake of the post-Pahalgam four-day Indo-Pakistan clash and the resounding defeat inflicted on the terrorist strongholds and airfields of Pakistan, it has now become imperative for India to go ahead with boosting the strength of the IAF.
Keeping this in mind and focus on indigenous defence production as part of “Aatmanirbharta,” Defence Minister Rajnath Singh approved the “execution model” mega project of Fifth Generation deep penetration Stealth Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft (AMCA) for both the Indian Air Force and the Indian Navy.
The project is crucial for the Indian Air Force, whose squadrons of mainly Russian and ex-Soviet aircraft have fallen to 31 from an approved strength of 42 at a time when rival China is expanding its air force rapidly. Pakistan has one of China’s most advanced warplanes, the J-10, in its arsenal.
The AMCA is designed to execute a wide array of missions, including air superiority, ground strikes, Suppression of Enemy Air Defences (SEAD), and electronic warfare (EW). The AMCA will significantly enhance India’s aerial combat capabilities.
This single-seat, twin-engine aircraft will feature all-weather operational capability. It is expected to have a maximum takeoff weight of approximately 25 tonnes and will be capable of reaching altitudes up to 55,000 feet.
It is designed for all-aspect stealth, supercruise, advanced avionics, sensor fusion, and an internal weapons bay and Mk1 uses US GE F414 engines, while Mk2 aims for a more powerful, indigenously developed engine (with foreign collaboration).
India has been working on the ambitious AMCA project to develop the medium weight deep penetration fighter jet with advanced stealth features to bolster its air power capability.
At present, only two countries – the United States (F-22 and F-35) and China (J-20 and J-35) – operate fifth-generation stealth fighter aircraft.
With China already having developed a sixth-generation jet, India has recently accelerated the development of the AMCA, with advanced stealth capabilities, aimed at significantly enhancing country’s air power.
The defence ministry said that Singh has approved the “Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft (AMCA) Programme Execution Model,” in a significant push towards enhancing India’s indigenous defence capabilities and fostering a robust domestic aerospace industrial ecosystem.
The Aeronautical Development Agency (ADA) is set to execute the programme through Industry partnership. The defence ministry said the “Execution Model” approach provides equal opportunities to both private and public sectors on competitive basis.
“They can bid either independently or as joint venture or as consortia. The entity/bidder should be an Indian company compliant with the laws and regulations of the country,” it said in a statement.
“This is an important step towards harnessing the indigenous expertise, capability and capacity to develop the AMCA prototype, which will be a major milestone towards Aatmanirbharta (self-reliance) in the aerospace sector,” it said.
The cabinet committee on security led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi had given in-principle approval to the fighter jet programme last year. The initial development cost of the project has been estimated at around Rs 15,000 crore.
The IAF has been pushing for the AMCA project in view of its long-term requirement. India’s confidence in the development of the AMCA saw a significant jump after the development of the Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) Tejas.
