A model of AMCA displayed during Aero India 2021. (Creative Commons photo via Wikipedia.)
New Delhi: In a significant move to bolster the Indian Air Force's capabilities, the Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS), chaired by the prime minister, Narendra Modi, greenlit the ₹150 billion advanced medium combat aircraft (AMCA) project, on Thursday. This project aims to design and manufacture the country’s first domestically produced fifth-generation fighter jet.
Joining the Elite Club
The AMCA’s induction into the Air Force will propel India into the exclusive group of nations operating fifth-generation combat aircraft. Currently, only the United States (F-22 Raptor and F-35A Lightning II), China (J-20), and Russia (Sukhoi-57) possess these advanced fighters.
AMCA Engine and Production Timeline
The initial squadrons of AMCA fighters will be powered by 110-kilonewton engines. American giant General Electric (GE) and India’s Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) signed an agreement to jointly produce the GE F414 engines in June 2023, as India Sentinels had reported then.
Importantly, all US clearances for the co-production of 100 engines were granted in 2023. This co-produced GE F414 will be an advanced variant.
The first prototype AMCA, equipped with the GE F414 engine, is anticipated to be unveiled by 2026.
The Air Force aims to induct a total of seven AMCA squadrons. The first of these squadrons are expected to be operational by 2030. The process to secure CCS approval for design and prototype development of the AMCA officially began in 2022.
