India’s Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft (AMCA) project represents a pivotal leap in the nation’s aerospace ambitions, aiming to develop a homegrown fifth-generation stealth fighter jet. As global tensions rise, with India forced to abandon their original plan to acquire US F-35 Lightning II fifth-generation warplanes—and with some weariness on New Delhi’s part to purchase the Russian-made fifth-generation plane, the Su-57 Felon—India’s AMCA is poised to enhance India’s air superiority and reduce reliance on foreign military imports. 

Launched under the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) and Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL), this initiative underscores India’s push for self-reliance in defense technology. The AMCA was formally approved in 2023 with an initial funding of $1.8 billion for prototype development. By 2025, though, the project has accelerated, with prototypes expected to roll out by 2027 and with first flight targeted for 2028. 

This stealth fighter will join an elite club dominated by the US F-35, Russia’s Su-57, and China’s J-20, marking India as the fourth nation to field such advanced aircraft.

So far, India has kept the AMCA’s key features tightly under wraps. But it is known that the fighter is intended as a........

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