India's Upcoming Air Power: AMCA HAL

India has immense capabilities is terms of its defence forces. However, one thing it lacks is a 5th generation fighter jet. However, this will not be the case anymore. The Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft (AMCA), that is being developed by Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) is a 5th generation fighter which as many capabilities as Lockheed Martin's F-16 and is even better than it in some areas like range, speed, etc.

What is a 5th Generation Fighter Aircraft?

A 5th generation fighter is a fighter aircraft which includes a majority of the systems developed in the 21st century. As of now, 5th generation fighters are the most advanced fighter jets ever developed.

While all 5th generation fighters have different features, some features like stealth, low-probability-of-intercept-radar, agile airframes, advanced avionics along with the ability to fly at supersonic speeds without an afterburner. As of now, only 3 countries around the world i.e. USA, Russia and China, have 5th Generation Fighters.

Design of AMCA

Fig. 1- A scaled model of AMCA

The AMCA will be powered by two General Electric F414 afterburning turbofan engines that will provide around 22,000 pounds of thrust. It will have a fully movable vertical stabiliser along with large horizontal stabilisers. The cockpit of the aircraft has a single seat configuration which has been placed high on the aircraft to ensure good visibility for the pilot. The AMCA also has various sensors that are connected to AI systems to increase the awareness of the situation of the aircraft for the pilot.

The AMCA also features an internal armament bay for stealth payloads and missiles. Aside from this, it will also have external points to carry non-stealthy weapons. The AMCA also has plans to integrate directed energy weapons(weapons that damages the target by focusing a high energy beam on it such as a laser beam, sound beam, etc.).

The first flight of the AMCA prototype is scheduled for 2026-27 and if all goes well, it will enter the service of IAF by 2035. This will provide an immense boost to the air defence system of India and will pave the way for other such indigenously developed fighter jets.

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Cheers,

Aarav Iyer

References:

(1) Wikipedia
(2) The EurAsian Times