India has redefined a landmark in defence technology with the clearance of the "execution model" for its first indigenously developed fifth generation stealth fighter aircraft, called the Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft (AMCA). The government has made a daring decision, endorsed by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on May 27, 2025, to join an elite cohort of countries able to design and manufacture new generation combat aircraft at a time of increasing tensions in the region and an unprecedented global arms race.
Key Highlights:
Project Clearance: The execution model for the AMCA program is approved, leading to prototype construction and prospective production runs.
Industry Partnerships: For the first time, Indian companies, either private or public can bid, either as individuals, joint ventures or in consortiums, to actively promote healthy competition and innovation.
Lead Agency: The Aeronautical Development Agency (ADA) under the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) is the agency in charge of the oversight for the project with submission of interested industry partners expedited.
Technological Advancements: The AMCA will boast state-of-the-art stealth capability, supercruise performance, sensor fusion, internal weapons bays and avionics powered by artificial intelligence, on par with world-class fighter aircraft including the US F-35 and the J-20 fighter aircraft of China.
Strategic Necessity: This project comes at a time when the fighter squadrons of the Indian air force are down to 31 (out of a sanctioned strength of 42); our neighbours China's and Pakistan's air fleets are inevitably modernised.
Timeline: The first flying prototype may emerge by 2031, with series production expected in 2035. Initially five prototypes will be developed with approximately ₹15,000 crore earmarked for the project.
Engine Development: The engine for the fighter is expected to be developed in a joint venture with a foreign OEM (original equipment manufacturer), allowing India to leverage out of the box thinking with state of the art propulsion experience from the global aerospace sector.
Defense Self-Reliance: This project is a landmark initiative on India's journey to ‘Aatmanirbharta’ (self-reliance) in its defence domain, fostering a domestic ecosystem, and exhibition, to lessen its military imports systemically.
What this means
This historic approval meets India’s defence objectives with its capabilities, but importantly presents India as a nation now able to emerge as an important aerospace power. When the AMCA Project develops, India will be capable of deploying fighter jets to the class of elite nations, the US, China, and Russia, as a country, with homegrown, fifth generation fighter aircraft available—a pivotal game changer in defence strategies and military industrial capacity in aviation, specifically.
Source: Times of India, Hindustan Times, Indian Express, Moneycontrol, Firstpost, Economic Times, News18, NDTV, IDRW, Reuters, Wikipedia.
