BENGALURU: The Aeronautical Development Agency (ADA) has unveiled a full-scale model of the fifth-generation Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft (AMCA) at Aero India 2025, offering onlookers and the defence industry a glimpse of the sleekness and state-of-the-art design of the stealth fighter jet. It is expected to embark on its maiden flight in a couple of years, and join the Indian Air Force in the mid-2030s.
The unveiling of the 1:1 model marks a significant milestone, as it confirms completion of the aircraft’s design phase and clearance of the Critical Design Review (CDR) by the Indian Air Force, as the programme moves towards more advanced phases of development.
The AMCA is India’s answer to the development of its own fifth-generation stealth fighter jet, a feat achieved only by the US (Lockheed Martin F-22 Raptor and F-35 Lightning II), China (Chengdu J-20), and Russia (Sukhoi Su-57 ‘Felon’).
Though the then UPA government had allocated Rs 90 crore, followed by an additional Rs 447 crore, for a feasibility study on AMCA in 2009, progress remained sluggish.
It was only in March last year that the Cabinet Committee on Security, headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, approved the Rs 15,000-crore indigenous fifth-generation Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft project for the IAF, with the jet expected to be inducted by 2035.
However, a series of technical challenges, particularly with the engine, continue to impair its pace of development, experts say.
Touching upon the AMCA programme’s journey to The New Indian Express, ADA Outstanding Scientist & Scientist/Engineer ‘H’ Offg Project Director (AMCA) Krishna Rajendra Neeli, however, said, “We got approvals for the programme nine months ago, which might seem like a long duration, but there’s no delay as such. It’s a 10-year project, which started in April 2024.”
Neeli informed that five prototypes will be built during the course of AMCA’s development, and the aircraft itself will be developed for specific Indian requirements, without divulging more details.
The AMCA is slated to emerge as the most advanced fighter jet ever made in India, and by India, and one of the most advanced overall military platforms built in the country.
It is due to combine cutting-edge features such as a stealth air frame, internal carriage for weapons, DSI air intake with serpentine duct, ergonomically-designed smart cockpit with advanced integrated avionics, integrated sensor suite, advanced sensors with data fusion, decision aids, and electronic pilot for enhanced autonomy, among others, defining its fifth-generation attributes.
At a max all-up weight of 25T and length of 18m, with a wing-span of 11.13m, it will be larger than other fighters in IAF’s inventory. Besides, it is expected to fly at a max speed of Mach 1.8, with a service ceiling of 55,000ft.