Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft

The Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft (AMCA) is a planned Indian single-seat, twin-engine, all-weather fifth-generation stealth, multirole combat aircraft being developed for the Indian Air Force and the Indian Navy. The aircraft is being designed by the Aeronautical Development Agency (ADA), an aircraft design agency under the Ministry of Defence. Mass production of the aircraft is planned to start by 2035.

The AMCA is intended to perform a multitude of missions including air supremacy, ground-strike, Suppression of Enemy Air Defenses (SEAD) and electronic warfare (EW) missions. It is intended to supplant the Sukhoi Su-30MKI air superiority fighter, which forms the backbone of the IAF fighter fleet. The AMCA design is optimized for low radar cross section and supercruise capability.

As of February 2025, the prototype development phase is underway after the completion of feasibility study, preliminary design stage and detailed design phase. It is currently the only fifth generation fighter under development in India.

Development

AMCA Programme

The AMCA programme, earlier known as the ''Medium Combat Aircraft (MCA) programme'', is an Indian programme to develop a fifth-generation combat aircraft. It began as a parallel programme to the Indo-Russia Sukhoi/HAL FGFA. The AMCA programme was launched in 2010. Although envisioned as a 20-tonne class fighter earlier, now AMCA is 25-tonne class fighter.

Feasibility study phase

In April 2010, the Indian Air Force issued an Air Staff Qualitative Requirement (ASQR) for the AMCA. A feasibility study was launched in October 2010 after a fund allocation of by the Defence Ministry. In November, the Aeronautical Development Agency (ADA) sought an additional funding of for the development of two technology demonstrators and seven prototypes. By the time, the first flight was expected in 2017.

The first scaled demonstration of a 1:8 scale model was unveiled at the 2013 edition of Aero India. The Project Definition and Preliminary Design phase was completed by February 2014 while Engineering Technology & Manufacturing Development (ETMD) phase begun in January 2014. By the time the first flight schedule was pushed back to 2018.

From November 2013 to December 2014, 9 design configurations of AMCA, starting from 3B-01 to 3B-09, were studied using CAD, low-speed and high-speed wind tunnel testing, and radar cross section (RCS) testing at the Calspan Wind Tunnel. By the end of 2014, configuration 3B-09 was chosen. Also, the initial funding for feasibility studies were utilised and a further funding was expected for 3 to 4 prototypes with a first flight target of 2020-21.

Meanwhile, the Indian Navy sought details of the project for a naval variant in March 2013. The proposed variant is referred to as NAMCA or AMCA-N. The naval requirements were officially sent on 7 September 2015 and the aircraft would equip their future IAC-2.

In Aero India 2015, the basic design configuration of AMCA was finalized. Major technologies under development at the time were stealth, thrust vectoring and super cruise. DRDO plans to finalise a partner within six months for a 110kN thrust-class engine. Meanwhile, Russia was collaborating for development of thrust vectoring. The design was accepted by IAF in 2016.

Detailed design phase

In 2018, ADA received additional funding of for the detailed design phase (DDP). By 2019, the programme faced multiple delays while India pulled out from the Indo-Russian FGFA development project which was for a different weight category. AMCA became the "first preference" of the IAF.

As of 2022, after multiple delays, the Ministry of Defence was seeking approval of from the Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) for the prototype development phase. Again, the timeline of first flight by 2020 (and production by 2025) was shifted to 2026.

Prototype development phase

The design work was completed in 2023, and approval for the project for prototype development was received from CCS in March 2024. The Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) expects to roll out the first prototype in three years and the first flight in one to one and (a) half years after that". Total 5 prototypes are to be built. The first flight is expected in late 2028. The first three prototypes will carry out developmental flight trials, whereas the next two will focus on weapon trials. The prototype will be rolled out at an interval of 8-9 months.

A Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) consisting of ADA, Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) and a private company was reportedly being formed for the development and production of AMCA.

At the Aero India 2025, a full-scale engineering model of the AMCA was publicly demonstrated for the first time. As revealed during the event, ADA has laid out a 10-year development roadmap for the rollout of five prototypes after the full-scale engineering development phase began in April 2024. The prototype roll out is planned by late 2026 or early 2027, followed by first flight in 2028, certification by 2032 and induction in 2034. The timeline details was provided by Krishna Rajendra Neeli, the Project Director of the AMCA programme. Each prototype will cost . The CCS mentioned that any cost overruns during the development should be reported directly to CCS instead of the Defence Ministry.

It was also reported that the government is yet to decide the production partner for the aircraft since ADA has proposed to hand over the responsibility to private sector companies rather that HAL in view of the company's "not-so-great delivery track-record". Multiple meetings had been held and HAL pushed for an additional assembly-line dedicated to AMCA if required. Meanwhile, the government has shifted to an "industry partnership model" instead of the initial plans for SPV. ADA's push for changing the production partner is to avoid any further delays following setbacks from development funding and lack of clearance from the US government for license production of engines. The private sector partner would be responsible for development, production and lifetime maintenance of the jet.

In March 2025, it was reported that the Ministry of Defence formed a panel to examine increasing the role of private sector companies in the development of the AMCA. As of 17 March 2025, reports suggested that another top level committee was evaluating a "clear-cut strategy and production-cum-business model" to accelerate the development of Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft (AMCA). The committee is chaired by the Defence Secretary and its members include Secretary of Defence Production, Vice Chief of the Air Staff Air Marshal SP Dharkar and top officials from Aeronautical Development Agency (ADA) and Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO). The committee, tasked to devise a plan to "shrink timelines" to get AMCA from drawing board to air as well as the high thrust indigenous engine development, is expected to be its report submitted in April.

On 27 May 2025, the Defence Ministry cleared the "Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft (AMCA) Programme Execution Model". Under the model, the Aeronautical Development Agency (ADA) will release an Expression of Interest (EoI) to develop AMCA through industry partnership. Here, both private or public sector companies can bid either as independent entity or as consortia or joint ventures to get the contract. As of now, the prototype roll out is expected by 2028-29, series production by 2035 and service introduction by 2034. The Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) is reportedly set to evaluate responses from 24 companies in order to select a partner firm for the formation of a consortium. This consortium, structured under the public-private partnership (PPP) model, will subsequently bid to become the designated AMCA development consortium.

Engine development

As of December 2014, ADA had plans to issue an request for proposal (RfP) to six original equipment manufacturers (OEMs), by April 2015, for co-development of an afterburning low-bypass turbofan of the 110kN thrust class. As of then, AMCA had a requirement of 105kN thrust engines against its maximum MTOW of 24.2 tonnes.

As per a Government statement in the Rajya Sabha during the Winter Session 2021, there is a proposal to jointly develop the engine for AMCA with the help of foreign partner using the know how from the Kaveri engine development programme.

On 15 July 2023, India and France agreed to collaborate for the joint development of a combat aircraft engine, which would power the Mark-2 variant of AMCA as part of the Horizon 2047 document for India-France strategic partnership. A roadmap for this project will be prepared between French firm Safran and India’s DRDO before the end of 2023.

On 18 November 2023, Dr. Samir V. Kamat of DRDO announced that the United States has provided the necessary permits, opening the door for GE Aerospace and HAL to jointly produce the General Electric F414 engine in India for HAL Tejas Mark 2 and for the first two squadrons of AMCA.

As of September 2024, foreign firms who offered joint venture development includes the US-origin General Electric, UK-origin Rolls-Royce and French-origin Safran. The latter two has also offered 100% intellectual property (IP) of engine design. Safran and Rolls-Royce have also received clearance from their respective countries for the engine development. Reportedly, Safran is the frontrunner for the deal and discussions are underway among Safran, ADA and GTRE as of October 2024. In October 2024, Safran and HAL also signed an MoU to develop industrial cooperation in forging parts’ manufacturing for commercial engines including those. HAL, in its Bangalore facility would supple engine parts of CFM International LEAP to Safran Aircraft Engines.

On 18 February 2025, it was also reported that while France was in an advanced stages of talks with India, Rolls-Royce Holdings was in talks with India for the engine co-development programme for AMCA. They has offered "to co-develop and co-design, allowing India to own the Intellectual Property (IP) in India, for India for use in current as well as future programmes". They had completed the first phase of discussions for the development.

Sixth-generation technologies

In an interview given in 2020, the then Air Force Chief R. K. S. Bhadauria stated that "The planning process is already underway for combat systems like optionally manned sixth generation technologies, smart wingman concept, swarm drones, long persistent HALE (High-Altitude Long Endurance) platforms and hypersonic weapons, among others.

Design

Overview

The AMCA is a twin-engine, stealth supersonic multi-role fighter jet designed for the IAF. The AMCA would be the first fifth generation fighter jet to enter service with the Indian Air Force.

The AMCA is designed with shoulder mounted diamond shaped trapezoidal wings, a profile with substantial area-ruling to reduce drag at transonic speeds, and a stabilator V-tail with large fuselage mounted tail-wing. Flight control surfaces include leading and trailing-edge flaps, ailerons, rudders on the canted vertical stabilizers, and all-moving tailplanes; these surfaces also serve as air brakes. The cockpit features a single seat configuration which is placed high, near the air intakes and wings of the aircraft to provide good visibility to the pilot with a single bubble canopy. A leading-edge root extension (LERX), which is a small fillet, is situated on the front section of the intake and wings of the aircraft. It has a typically roughly rectangular shape, running forward from the leading edge of the wing root to a point along the fuselage. The aircraft features a tricycle landing gear configuration. The weapons bay is placed on the underside of the fuselage between the nose and main landing gear. The AMCA is designed to produce a very small radar cross-section, to accomplish this it features "S-shaped" air-intakes to reduce radar exposure to the fan blade which increases stealth, uses an internal weapons bay and features the use of composites and other materials.

Stealth and radar signature

The AMCA design has inherent radar stealth, achieved through twin-tail layout, platform edge alignment and serration, body conformal antenna and low intercept radar, diverterless supersonic inlet (DSI) with serpentine ducts which conceal engine fan blades, internal weapons bay and extensive use of composites in airframe. According to Janes Information Services quoting ADA, the airframe of AMCA will have 38–40% composite. As of October 2022, designers are still in the process of refining the radar deflection capability of AMCA. It will also use radar-absorbent materials wherever necessary.

On November 26, 2024, IIT Kanpur introduced Anālakṣhya, a Meta-material Surface Cloaking System (MSCS) for multi-spectral camouflage. The Meta-material Microwave Absorber improves stealth capabilities against Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) imaging by wave absorption across a wide spectrum. From 2019 to 2024, it was tested in both lab and field settings under various circumstances. Meta Tattva Systems is the licensee of the technology for industrial production and is currently under acquisition by the Indian Armed Forces. This technology is of interest to DRDO for AMCA development.

Sensors and avionics

The AMCA is expected to have distributed passive sensors with Artificial intelligence (AI) assisted multi-sensor data fusion to increase situational awareness and to work in tandem with the advanced electronic warfare (EW) suite onboard AMCA. The AMCA has a distributed processing system employing fast processors and smart subsystems. The AMCA will also have an integrated vehicle health monitoring system, an onboard condition monitoring system, which works on sensor fusion. Such development for the jet was first reported in 2011. The jet also features an "Electronic Pilot" which will enhance the decision-making capabilities of pilots. This will "enhance situational awareness, identify threats automatically, assist in complex combat scenarios".

Cockpit

The AMCA will have a glass cockpit equipped with a wide panoramic touchscreen display for enhanced man-machine interaction, a multi function display (MFD) placed in portrait orientation and a wide-angle holographic head-up display (HUD). The AMCA will have hands-on throttle-and-stick (HOTAS) arrangement with right hand on stick and left hand on throttle settings to ease the pilot workload.

Propulsion

The AMCA is to be powered by two afterburning turbofan engines. The plan is to equip General Electric F414 afterburning turbofan engine on AMCA Mark-1, while a more powerful joint venture (JV) engine is planned for AMCA Mark-2.

Armament

The AMCA features an internal weapons bay for carrying missiles and standoff precision guided munitions in stealthy configuration, while also has provision for external hardpoints for carrying ordinance externally for non-stealthy missions. Directed energy weapons are also planned to be equipped on the AMCA.

Future operators

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Indian Air Force – 7 squadrons are planned (~126 units)

Specifications (projected)

''Specifications can vary as the aircraft is still in development. All the information is based on available non-official sources - approximate and preliminary.''

See also

References

Notes

References

{{Stealth aircraft
Indian military aircraft procurement programs
Twinjets
Mid-wing aircraft
V-tail aircraft
AMCA
Stealth aircraft
Carrier-based aircraft
Proposed aircraft of India
Proposed military aircraft