India’s Stealth Fighter Project Takes Off as AMCA Enters Execution Stage

In a major step toward self-reliance, the Ministry of Defence approved using the execution model for the Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft (AMCA). As a result, India joins only a few countries with their own fifth-generation stealth fighter planes, the U.S., Russia and China.

Spearheaded by the Aeronautical Development Agency (ADA) with support from private industry, the AMCA program will feature advanced stealth, sensor fusion, internal weapons bays, and supercruise capability. It is a key pillar under the Aatmanirbhar Bharat vision and aims to bolster India’s air superiority in contested airspaces.

Key highlights:

• AMCA execution approved, advancing India’s 5th-gen stealth jet project.
• Target set for 2035 with global OEMs eyed for engine collaboration.
• DRDO tests 30-kW laser weapon, boosting futuristic defence tech.

“This journey began only in 2024, when the Cabinet Committee on Security sanctioned the project,” DRDO Chairman Samir V Kamat had previously said. “It will take ten years, and we have committed to delivering the platform by 2035.”

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To overcome engine-related hurdles, India is actively exploring joint ventures with foreign OEMs. “We learnt a lot from the Kaveri engine, but that was fourth-gen. Now we’re aiming for sixth-gen engine tech,” Kamat added.

Parallelly, India has also made headlines with its successful test of a 30-kilowatt directed energy weapon (DEW), developed by DRDO’s CHESS lab, capable of disabling drones and electronic surveillance systems. “The synergy between DRDO labs, industry, and academia in this programme is setting the tone for what the future of warfare will look like,” said Kamat. Together, these strides signify a decisive pivot in India's defence ecosystem.