Why in news? The Defence Ministry is planning to involve the private sector significantly in the design and development of the indigenous fifth-generation fighter aircraft, the Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft (AMCA).  This involvement is crucial for the timely execution of the project, with the first prototype expected by 2028-29, according to official sources.

What’s in today’s article?

• Fifth-generation fighter aircraft (FGFA)
• Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft (AMCA)

Fifth-generation fighter jets

• Fifth-generation fighter jets are designed to carry out a range of missions, such as air-to-air combat and ground attack.
• They have plain surfaces, specially shaped exhaust nozzles, and engines located in the plane's body to hide heat signatures.
• They also have special radars to detect the aircraft's own radar emissions.
• Only a few countries have built a fifth-generation stealth fighter aircraft.
• The list of the aircraft currently in service includes the F-22 Raptor and F-35A Lightning II of the US, the Chinese J-20 Mighty Dragon, and the Russian Sukhoi Su-57.

Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft (AMCA)

• About
  • Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft (AMCA) is India’s fifth-generation fighter multirole fighter jet.
    • This aircraft will be bigger than other fighters in the Indian Air Force inventory.
  • The aircraft will put India in a select group of nations that have their own fifth-generation fighter aircraft.
• Organisations involved
  • The Aeronautical Development Agency (ADA) under the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) will be the nodal agency for executing the programme and designing the aircraft.
  • It will be manufactured by state-owned Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL).
• Features
  • Stealth
    • The 25-tonne twin-engine aircraft will have advanced stealth features to avoid detection by enemy radar.
  • Fuel & Weapons
    • The aircraft will have a large, concealed internal fuel tank of 6.5-tonne capacity, and an internal weapons bay for a range of weapons, including indigenous weapons, to be buried in its belly.
  • Engine
    • The AMCA Mk1 variant will have the US-built GE414 engine of the 90 kilonewton (kN) class.
    • The more advanced AMCA Mk2 will fly on the more powerful 110kN engine.
    • This will be developed indigenously by DRDO’s Gas Turbine Research Establishment (GTRE) in collaboration with a foreign defence major.
• Significance of Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft (AMCA)
  • India’s indigenous fifth-generation fighter aircraft
    • The AMCA will be India’s indigenous fifth-generation fighter aircraft.
    • The indigenous Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) Tejas is a 4.5-generation single-engine multirole aircraft.
  • Advance stealth feature
    • What will set this aircraft apart from the existing fourth-generation is primarily its stealth features.
    • The aircraft will have a low electro-magnetic signature, which will make it difficult for enemy radar to detected it.
    • At the same time, it will have powerful sensors and new weapons, so it is able to register the signature of enemy aircraft and take them out.
  • Higher utilisation time and smaller serviceability
    • Another important aspect would be to ensure a higher utilisation time and smaller serviceability or maintenance periods for the aircraft.
    • This will be aided by the inclusion of a comprehensive Integrated Vehicle Health Management (IVHM) system to keep track of multiple structural components, and to assess the condition of the aircraft in real-time.
  • IAF’s dwindling numbers
    • The IAF currently has around 30 fighter squadrons against the sanctioned strength of 42.
    • This number is expected to go down further as squadrons of MiG-21s, MiG-29s, Jaguars, and Mirage 2000s are scheduled to be phased out by the middle of the next decade.
    • The IAF has indicated that it requires seven squadrons of the AMCA to begin with.
  • Strategic significance
    • China has made great progress in the development and deployment of fifth-generation fighter aircraft.
    • It has recently deployed its twin-engine J-20 FGFA in Tibet bordering India.
  • Clearance from Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS)
    • The AMCA project, sanctioned by the Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) in March 2024, is set to develop a 25-tonne twin-engine stealth aircraft with advanced features, aiming for a prototype by 2028-29.
    • The development of AMCA is planned to be carried out in two phases:
      • a MK1 with the General Electric F414 engine and
      • a Mk2 with a more powerful engine planned to be co-developed in partnership with Saran of France for which discussions are under way.