India To Build Its First 5th-Gen Fighter Jet Prototype Soon

India is one step closer to launching the Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft (AMCA), its first prototype fifth-generation fighter jet. The Critical Design Review (CDR) process for the same is slated for December. Following this, the project requires the approval from the Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS), according to officials at the Aeronautical Development Agency (ADA).  

The aim of the CDR is to finalise designs by completing analyses, simulations, schematics, and tests. The CCS, which comes under the Cabinet Secretariat, is responsible for taking decisions on major appointments and national security matters, in addition to defence expenditure.

The AMCA programme is a joint initiative of Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) and the ADA, which operates under the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO).

“Once the project sanction is received, the first prototype can be rolled out in three years and the first flight in one to one and a half years after that”, AMCA project director AK Ghosh said on the sidelines of the recently concluded DefExpo 2022. By this estimate, India's first 5th-gen fighter jet prototype will take flight by 2028.  

The AMCA will be a 25-tonne, twin-engine stealth fighter jet with an internal weapons bay, It will also include a Divertless Supersonic Intake, which has been produced in India for the first time, as per a report by The Hindu.  

The internal weapons bay, which will have a 1500-kg payload, 5500-kg external payload and 6500-kg internal fuel capacity, can reduce the aircraft’s radar cross-section (RCS). A low RCS is crucial for stealth aircraft as its radar signature will be more difficult for radar operators and other assets to identify, track and engage.

The AMCA programme is yet another initiative which validates Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s dual vision of ‘Make in India’ and ‘Aatmanirbhar Bharat’ (self-reliant India) in the defence sector.