AMCA (Fifth Generation Fighter Jet Project of India) has been granted with the much-awaited CCS (Cabinet Committee on Security) approval on March 7th, 2024. The CCS has accepted the expenditure of INR 15,000 Crores (USD 1813 Million) towards manufacturing, testing, and authentication of 05 AMCA Prototypes in a span of 05 Years.

This long-overdue budget clearance from the Indian Government paves the way for the Indian Aerospace industry to build the “first Made in India” 5th Generation Fighter Jet. The decision is being looked at as a momentous milestone in the journey of Indian Aerospace ambitions.

What is AMCA Project & its Production Plan?

AMCA is an acronym for “Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft.”

AMCA is set to be a key to India’s air defence strategy & is planned to be manufactured as a Single Seat, Twin Engine, All-Weather, Fifth Generation, Multi-role Fighter Jet, intended to be used by the Indian Air Force & Indian Navy. The design has been developed by the Aeronautical Development Agency (ADA), and most plausibly, the jet shall be manufactured by Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL).

The Fighter Jet will be equipped with an array of capabilities constituting Air supremacy, electronic warfare, ground strike, suppression of enemy air Defence, low radar cross-section & super-cruising feature. In the future, AMCA will replace the vertebrae of the Indian air force, i.e., Sukhoi 30 MKI. In the ambitious 2nd Phase, i.e., AMCA Mark-II, it is proposed to be upgraded with Sixth-generation features like the smart wingman concept, long-persistent HALE platforms, hyper sonic weapon carrying capabilities, etc. This advancing vision defines India’s determination in growing the landscape of strategic aero-space capabilities as self-reliant.

The AMCA will feature an internal weapons bay to carry missiles & stealth-guided munitions. The plan also includes a possible provision for directed energy weapon (DEW) fitment into the jet. India will produce 40 AMCA Mark-I jets in Phase-1, fitted with GE F-414 Engines. As part of Phase-II, India will manufacture 150 Mark-II jets, for which a suitable engine is yet to be identified or designed by India.

An Indigenous High Thrust Engine, A Painful hope:

Amid all the trumpets on AMCA approval, the soft underbelly of the whole saga continues to haunt the Indians, i.e., an indigenous jet engine. The approved fund does not answer the pressing question that has been giving sleepless nights to the Indian aeronautical Industry for years, i.e., designing & manufacturing a high thrust, low bypass jet engine.

In Phase-I, The AMCA Mark-I will have to be fitted with an American Engine, i.e., GE F-414, which is nothing but a transitional measure before Mark-II arrives. Even GE F-414 will not be able to meet the power & thrust needs of Mark-II.

India’s own Kaveri Engine can only produce 80KN of sustained thrust against a requirement of 90KN and failed to support the Tejas Fighter Jet Program, which ultimately went for the American GE F-404 Engine.

Currently, India is negotiating with the USA, France & England for high thrust engines in the range of 110 KN entailing 80%-100% technology transfer. However, any such deal is far from being inked due to imminent elections in India & the USA.

It is colloquially known that developing an indigenous high thrust jet engine is a matter of decades of persistence, research & massive infusion of investment. The pain of an indigenous engine is still an ongoing tragedy for India and the poignant story probably will continue for a few years more, if not decades, casting a +shadow in the aero-space self-reliance aspirations.