India has made a big jump and cleared the way for the development of its first indigenous fifth generation stealth fighter jet. With this step, India will be included in the very special list of countries like America, China and Russia, which have fifth generation fighter aircraft. By May 2025, this list is limited to only three countries-America (F-22, F-35), China (J-20) and Russia (SU-57). Now India is on the way to become the fourth country.

Defense Minister gave green signal
On Tuesday (August 12, 2025), Defense Minister Rajnath Singh approved the ‘Excoction Model’ of the Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft (AMCA) project. It will develop it for the Air Force and Navy in association with the Aeronautical Development Agency (ADA) global industry colleagues in Bengaluru. The initial expenditure on this project will be more than Rs 15,000 crore and the aircraft is expected to be delivered by 2035.

How will India’s first fifth generation fighter jet be
AMCA will be a single-seat, twin-engine fighter aircraft, which will be advanced stealth coatings and internal weapon bay, such as American and Russian aircraft (F-22, F-35 and SU-57). The aircraft will be able to fly to a height of 55,000 feet and carry 1,500 kg of weapons in the interior bay. The exterior will also have a capacity to carry 5,500 kg and 6,500 kg of additional fuel. According to reports, there will be two versions of this aircraft. The first American GE F414 will run with the engine, while the second version will have India’s own developed engine, which can be more powerful than this.

Supermanuvarble and Multirol Jet
AMCA is being designed in both supermanuvarble and multirol categories. Supermanuverable means that it will be able to change the sharp and complex direction by going beyond traditional techniques (such as Ailerons, Rudders etc.). Stealth means it will be very difficult to track it with radar and other detection systems. At the same time, Multirol means that this aircraft will be able to complete many missions like air domination, ground strike and destroying enemy air defense.

The specialty of the fifth generation fighter aircraft
There is no fixed definition of fifth generation fighter aircraft, but their basis is high-tech technology of the 21st century. They contain advanced battalfield software, which gives the pilot to the enemy’s activities and the real-time information of the battlefield. These aircraft also contain low-proclamation-off-intercept radar and networking systems, so that it can show better C3 (control, command and communication) capacity by staying connected with ‘friendly’ units.

India’s AMCA and the rest of the world aircraft
Currently, the US has F-22 and F-35, Russia has SU-57 and China has J-20. Of these, F-22 ‘Raptor’ was once called the deadliest fighter. Although the Obama administration thought of shutting down in 2008, it was again activated after seeing the military preparations of Russia and China. America’s F-35 is the most modern and most expensive fighter aircraft to date, which is estimated to be more than $ 1.7 trillion. It has also been offered to India. Similarly, Russia’s SU-57 is also proposed to India.

Sixth generation race of China
Reports say that China is working fast on the sixth generation fighter aircraft. In April 2025, NDTV reported that China is conducting two possible prototype tests-J-36 (three-engine tailless design) and J -50 (twin engine jet with V-shape wings). It is in response to American Boeing’s F-47 (next generation Air Superiority Fighter).

India’s military modernization campaign
The AMCA project is part of India’s strategy in which the army is being equipped with modern weapons and technology. Recently, India has bought 26 Rafale-M fighter aircraft by deal with a deal of Rs 63,000 crore, which will meet by 2031 and replace the old Navy’s old MIG-29K. The Air Force already has 36 rafale-C. Apart from this, in the last decade, India has created indigenous aircraft career, warships and submarines and has also successfully tested hypersonic missiles. Defense Minister Rajnath Singh has promised to invest $ 100 billion in domestic defense production by 2033 to promote “Make in India” and also increase defense exports.

The 5th -generation fighter aircraft has been felt for a long time to strengthen India’s air power. But the indigenous AMCA program is not ready yet, and the picture is not clear about foreign options-F-35 of America and SU-57 of Russia. In such a situation, everyone’s eyes are on India’s next strategy.

Amca still years away
India’s indigenous Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft (AMCA) is currently in the early stages of development. The Defense Research and Development Organization (DRDO) says that its prototype will not come before 2027-28 and its operation will not be started before 2036. Due to this delay, the Indian Air Force (IAF) is facing the lack of current squadron.

F-35: No formal proposal has been made yet
There has been a lot of discussion about the American F-35 fighter aircraft, but the Government of India or defense experts have not yet taken any clear stand. Minister of State for External Affairs Kirti Vardhan Singh said in Parliament that “there has been no formal talks about F-35 yet.” He referred to a meeting between Prime Minister Modi and US President Trump in February 2025, in which the US spoke of reconsideration of the sale policy of aircraft like F-35 to India, but it was limited to policy review only.

Why is F-35 not an easy option?
India already has fighter aircraft like SU-30mki, Rafael, Tejas, Mirage 2000 and Jaguar. A senior IAF pilot said, ‘Taking any aircraft is not just a matter of flying, but it is to see if it matches the current system. The F-35 is fully associated with the American system, which can make it difficult to reconcile with India’s diverse defense structure.

Expert Dinakar Pari says that F-35 is state-of-the-art, but this is not the best option for India. India does not have an American fighter ecosystem and adopting it will be a very long process. He also said that if the US is not fully connected to F-35 with India’s Russian, French and Israeli system, then this aircraft will not be able to work with its full capacity.

SU-57: There is an option, but the problem is also a lot
Russia’s SU-57 is considered a practical option for India as India already uses Russian aircraft. But there are many challenges associated with this option:

• Threat of US sanctions and political pressure
• Delay in delivery
• Technical issues
• payment issues
• Strategic harmony

However, there are benefits such as technical transfer with SU-57 and better harmony with the current Russian system.

IAF shortage of fighter aircraft
Currently IAF has only 30-31 squadrons, while the need is 42.5 squadron. Indigenous options like LCA MK1A and MK2 were expected to meet this deficiency, but their delivery is also delayed. In such a situation, India has the option to buy 4th Generation Plus (4Gen+) aircraft, so that the lack of AMCA can be met.

Expert advice: 4Gen+ and LCA are more important than FGFAS
Dinakar Pari said that ‘the real problem of IAF is not the 5th, but the number of 4th generation fighters. What is needed right now is to speed up LCA production and pursue programs like MRFA (Medium Multi-Role Fighter Aircraft). Opponents like China and Pakistan are rapidly increasing the fleet of their fighter aircraft, which has made it even more important to fill this gap for India.

99 f-404 engine: There are concerns about tariffs between India and America, but there is positive progress in the field of security cooperation. American aircraft engine manufacturer General Electric (GE) is preparing to hand over the first engine of 99 GE-404 engines to Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) by the end of this month. This delivery is being done after a delay of two years, which will give relief to the Indian Air Force (IAF) and will speed up the Tejas MK1A program. Under this program, 83 Tejas MK1A fighter aircraft are to be supplied to the Indian Air Force.

The GE-404 engine provides strength to the Tejas Mark 1-A combat aircraft manufactured in India. The Air Force has already expressed concern over the delay in delivery of HAL by HAL. According to the officials associated with the case, the first engine is currently on the test-bed and can be assigned to HAL by the end of this month. After this, delivery of 12 engines and then 20 engines every year is planned in 2025.

HAL will get the engine by the end of March

Under the 716 million dollars contract in 2021, GE was to supply 99 f-404 engines, which was to be started from March 2023. However, this delivery was affected due to the closure of the old supplier during the supply chain and the closure of the old supplier during the epidemic. According to officials, the first engine is undergoing testing process and will be assigned to HAL by the end of March.

Work on GE-414 engine construction continues in India

GE and HAL are jointly working on the construction of GE-414 engines in India. This engine will provide strength to the advanced multi-rall combat aircraft (AMCA), which is developing the Defense Research and Development Organization (DRDO). Under this project, technology transfer is planned under the ICET agreement between India and the US.

Plan for private sector participation in AMCA construction

The Indian Air Force has expressed dissatisfaction due to the delay in supply of 83 LCA MK-1A fighter aircraft by HAL. In view of this, the Ministry of Defense, Defense Secretary R.K. Of. A committee has been formed under the chairmanship of Singh, which will work on a commercial model for the construction of the fifth generation fighter aircraft (AMCA) of India. This committee will prepare a roadmap not on technical aspects, but to ensure private sector participation. Its main objective is that India should not depend only on HAL in future and other manufacturers also contribute to fighter aircraft manufacturing.

Option of American F-35 and French Rafael

Former US President Donald Trump has proposed a supply of F-35 fifth-generation fighter jet to India. However, India is also considering the French option during this period. As part of a conversation with France, the ‘Atmibhaar Bharat’ campaign includes the proposal to manufacture the Rafale fighter aircraft in India and its M-88 engine. These new defense initiatives are expected to further strengthen India’s security capabilities.