Modi-led Cabinet clears proposal to build India's fifth generation stealth fighter aircraft: reports

Prime Minister Narendra Modi-chaired Cabinet Committee on Security on Thursday reportedly cleared a proposal to design and manufacture India’s indigenous fifth generation stealth fighter aircraft— Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft (AMCA).

The project, pegged to be around Rs 15,000 crore, would be taken up by the Defence Research and Development Organisation's Aeronautical Development Agency in partnership with various public and private sector agencies.

ANI news agency, quoting government sources, reported that around five prototypes would be developed in five years.

Five prototypes will be built by the Aeronautical Development Agency (ADA) of the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) along with state-run Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) and private companies.

The first prototype is expected to be powered by the GE-414 engine and is earmarked for rollout by 2026, The Print reported.

"The Defence Ministry envisages that the fifth generation aircraft project would generate lakhs of jobs and the Indian Air Force orders can generate business worth lakhs of crores for Indian entities and also generate jobs at a mass scale," ANI reported quoting sources.

The indigenous fighter aircraft projects have received a major boost from the Indian Air Force under the Narendra Modi government as the government has ordered over 200 Light Combat Aircraft along with clearance for engines for the LCA Mark-2 project.

Presently, there are four operational fifth generation fighters in the world. The US has two— F-22 Raptor and F-35A Lightning II. China has the J-20 and the Russians have the Su-57, which has not been recongised by the world as the aircrafft lacks stealth technology — a primary requirement to be termed fifth generation, according to The Print.

China also has the J-31 fighters whose fifth generation credentials are questionable as well.

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