India is stepping up its development of locally made fifth-generation fighter aircraft to challenge China's increasing air dominance. India is working on two programs: the Air Force's Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft (AMCA) and the Twin-Engine Deck-Based Fighter (TEDBF) for the Navy. The main design of the TEDBF is to be finished by June 2025, and the AMCA project, sanctioned at a cost of Rs 15,000 crore, is planned for induction by 2035. These are important initiatives because India has a 15-year technology deficit vis-a-vis China, which has already inducted more than 300 Chengdu J-20 stealth fighters and is working on sixth-generation aircraft.
Source: India Today, The New Indian Express