The Indian government’s Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) approved the design and development of the Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft (AMCA) fifth-generation stealth aircraft on March 7th. The project is assigned to the Defense Research and Development Organization’s (DRDO) Aeronautical Development Agency.
Public and private sector companies are part of the project, which will build five prototypes in five years. The first operational examples of the aircraft produced will use General Electric’s F-414 jet engine, and future batches will utilize a domestically produced engine.
The AMCA will have a length of approximately 59 feet (18 meters), a wingspan of 36 feet (11 meters), and a height of about 14 feet (4.4 meters).
Expected dates for total completion are in the 2030s; the first flights will be around 2027 or 2028 and is projected to cost around Rs 15,000 crore. The Indian government will buy at least 200 units of the aircraft, enough for at least seven squadrons.
Recently, the Indian government increased its emphasis on domestically producing and developing defense projects to provide it with a self-sufficient arms industry.
