India is close to developing its first fifth-generation stealth fighter as Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Tuesday approved the execution model for the Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft (AMCA) programme.
India to have its fifth-generation fighter jet
The deep-penetration advanced medium combat aircraft for the Indian Air Force and Navy potentially makes India the third country to possess such stealth fighter jets.
At present, only two countries in the world, 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 sped up the development of the AMCA, with advanced stealth capabilities.
"In a significant push towards enhancing India’s indigenous defence capabilities and fostering a robust domestic aerospace industrial ecosystem, Raksha Mantri Shri Rajnath Singh has approved the Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft (AMCA) Programme Execution Model," the Defence Ministry announced on Tuesday.
Minister Rajnath Singh called it 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".
The initial development cost of the project is estimated to be approximately Rs 15,000 crore, with the Aeronautical Development Agency (ADA) leading the programme through strategic industry partnerships.
As one of the most threatened nations with two nuclear-armed neighbours as adversaries, India faces a major challenge to meet its evolving needs. The Indian Air Force currently operates a fleet of 31 squadrons of fighter aircraft, against a minimal requirement of 42, because the older aircraft like the MiG-21, MiG-23, and MiG-27 were phased out in the 2000s and 2010s without sufficient replacements.
How are fighter jets categorised?
Fighter jets are categorised into different generations based on their features, capabilities, performance and year of development.
In the absence of clearly defined features or capabilities to differentiate one generation from the other, the categorisation remains a broad-based concept with authorities identifying different technology jumps as key, dividing fighter development into different numbers of generations.
In 2004, Aerospaceweb listed the basic classification into five generations, which has since been widely accepted. Five generations are now recognised, with the development of a sixth underway. The 4th generation has also been sub-categorised into 4 and 4.5.
India’s confidence in the AMCA’s development has increased following the successful creation of the Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) Tejas.
Last year, the Cabinet Committee on Security, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, granted in-principle approval for the fighter jet project.
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