TAG: GS 3: SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
THE CONTEXT: India’s ambitious project to develop its own fifth-generation fighter aircraft, the Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft (AMCA), is making significant progress.
EXPLANATION:
- The Defence Ministry is formulating a model to involve private industry substantially, aiming to ensure timely execution of the project.
Project Timeline and Development Phases
- Prototype Rollout and Production:
- The design of the AMCA is complete, and the first prototype is expected to be ready by 2028-29.
- Production is anticipated to begin around 2032-33, with the goal of having the aircraft ready for induction by 2034, a decade from the project’s sanction date.
- Private Sector Involvement:
- Significant private industry involvement is being planned to keep the manufacturing and delivery schedules on track.
- The Defence Ministry is expected to finalize a model for this involvement within the next six months.
- An Expression of Interest (EoI) has already been issued to the industry, receiving three responses.
Significance and Strategic Importance
- India’s Only FGFA Project:
- The AMCA is critical as it is India’s sole fifth-generation fighter aircraft (FGFA) project.
- This project comes at a time when similar FGFA development initiatives are progressing globally, particularly in China, which has recently deployed its J-20 FGFA in Tibet, near the Indian border.
Project Sanction and Specifications
- CCS Clearance:
- The Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) sanctioned the AMCA project in March.
- The aircraft is designed as a 25-tonne twin-engine stealth aircraft featuring internal weapons bays and a diverterless supersonic intake—developed for the first time in India.
- Payload and Fuel Capacity:
- The AMCA is intended to carry 1,500 kg of internal payload, 5,500 kg of external payload, and 6,500 kg of internal fuel.
Production and Technological Partnerships
- Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL):
- HAL, the designated production agency for the AMCA project, has already commenced manufacturing activities.
- Development Phases:
- The AMCA development will proceed in two phases:
- MK1 Variant:
- This variant will be powered by the General Electric F414 engine.
- MK2 Variant:
- A more powerful engine is planned for the MK2 variant, which will be co-developed with Saran of France.
- Discussions for this partnership are currently underway.
Related Aircraft Development Projects
- Light Combat Aircraft (LCA)-Mk2:
- In addition to the AMCA, the development of the LCA-Mk2 is also on track.
- The LCA-Mk2 is a larger and more capable aircraft compared to the current LCA models.
- The prototype is expected to be ready by 2027.
- CCS Sanction and Engine Specifications:
- The LCA-Mk2 project received CCS sanction in September 2022, with a total development cost of ₹9,000 crores.
- It will be powered by the GE F-414 engine, which produces 98kN of thrust, compared to the 84kN thrust of the GE-404 engine used in the LCA Mk1 and MK1A.
- A deal to licence-manufacture the F-414 engines in India by HAL is nearing conclusion.