The Indian Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft (AMCA) challenge that goals to construct the nation’s much-wanted Stealth Fighter stays not on time. There are solely a few choices for India if it needs to be succesful sufficient to counter belligerent neighbors, China and Pakistan.

The Turkish aerospace trade has lately soared to new heights with the historic first flight of its homegrown stealth fighter jet, KAAN.

This momentous achievement has despatched ripples of admiration throughout the globe as Turkey solidifies its place as a drive to be reckoned with in cutting-edge navy know-how.

Amid the worldwide acclaim, a buzz of intrigue has emerged from India. With eyes fastened on Turkey’s triumph, a number of Indian web customers have begun to ponder the progress of the nation’s formidable endeavor: the Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft (AMCA) challenge.

Designed to craft India’s stealth fighter, the AMCA program now faces heightened scrutiny from Indian netizens. The scrutiny and questioning directed in the direction of the AMCA challenge are warranted.

This stems from the truth that although the challenge commenced over a decade in the past, its sluggish progress is considerably impeding the general growth timeline.

The design part of the plane has already been finalized, and in April 2023, the Defence Research and Development Organization (DRDO) approached the Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS), chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, to safe funds.

The preliminary projected price for growth stands at roughly Rs 15,000 crore. However, the delay in securing the required funds is rising as a significant hindrance, slowing down the general tempo of the challenge.

According to DRDO Chief Dr. Samir V Kamat, the primary AMCA prototype is anticipated to roll out seven years after receiving CCS sanction, with potential induction by the Indian Air Force (IAF) occurring roughly ten years later. As a end result, the IAF is prone to begin the induction of the AMCA round 2035.

Meanwhile, throughout a latest interview with IndiaToday, former Indian Air Force Chief Rakesh Kumar Singh Bhadauria hinted that the inaugural flight of the AMCA may doubtlessly happen inside 4 and a half years, with the Initial Operational Clearance (IOC) presumably taking a decade to realize.

These timelines mark a considerable deviation from the sooner projections made in 2022 by the DRDO. Back then, it was suggested that upon challenge approval, the prototype may very well be accomplished inside three years, with the primary flight anticipated inside one to one-and-a-half years thereafter.

At that time, these timelines indicated the potential for the primary flight of the Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft (AMCA) to happen in 2025-26. However, it seems that assembly these earlier projections is now unfeasible.

These delays additionally spark worries that the AMCA challenge might encounter a future paying homage to the Tejas challenge.

The Tejas, sanctioned in 1983 to switch the Soviet-origin MiG-21 fleet, skilled important delays, with the primary supply to the Air Force not taking place till 2015.

Adversaries Focusing On Stealth Aircraft 

As India grapples with the challenges of creating a fifth-generation fighter jet, its two main adversaries, China and Pakistan, are bolstering their air drive arsenals.

China is already believed to have a fleet of roughly 200 J-20 fifth-generation fighter jets in operation. Meanwhile, Pakistan has disclosed intentions to amass the Shenyang FC-31/J-31 fighter.

Pakistan, nonetheless, has not supplied any specifics relating to the amount of jets to be acquired or the supply timetable. Experts consider it may very well be as excessive as 100 or much like the Indian acquisition of Rafale fighters (IAF acquired 36 French Jets).

This growth has ignited profound issues inside India’s protection circles, notably amidst the nation’s persistent battle to counterbalance the precipitous decline in squadron energy. With the present squadron rely languishing at a mere 32, it stands in stark distinction to the specified threshold of 42.

In 2016, the then-vice Chief of the Indian Air Force (IAF), Air Marshal BS Dhanoa, began a debate by stating that the IAF lacked a “sufficient” variety of fighter plane to successfully safeguard each the western and northeastern borders concurrently.

Experts identified that with round 15 present fighter squadrons scheduled for retirement by the mid-2030s, the optimistic situation of introducing new plane would solely elevate fighter squadron figures by seven, totaling 39 squadrons.

The disparity underscores a urgent urgency for India to bolster its aerial capabilities, particularly within the face of neighboring adversaries bolstering their air drive arsenals with cutting-edge fifth-generation fighter jets.

Conversely, with the fast tempo of modernization noticed inside the Chinese Air Force, projections point out that it’s on monitor to deploy upwards of 500 J-20 stealth fighter jets by 2025-2026.

While Pakistan, amidst its financial challenges, has shunned disclosing the variety of Chinese fifth-generation fighter jets it plans to obtain, its alleged participation within the Turkish stealth fighter growth challenge additionally hints on the prospect of buying a minimum of a restricted variety of KAAN fighter plane.

Options Available for India? 

Considering the grave implications, the potential situation of an adversary amassing a big fleet of stealth plane close to India’s borders emerges as a formidable problem for the Indian Armed Forces.

Such a growth poses multifaceted threats, together with heightened strategic vulnerabilities and diminished operational flexibility.

In mild of this urgent concern, till the indigenous Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft (AMCA) could be mass-produced, New Delhi might discover itself compelled to pursue different avenues to bridge the important gaps in its aerial capabilities.

As far as fifth-generation fighter jets go, the accessible decisions are restricted. To date, solely Russia, the USA, and China have efficiently developed and deployed such superior plane.

India’s choices for buying a stealth plane are primarily restricted to the United States or Russia. However, each decisions include their very own set of challenges and issues.

Experts recommend that India’s possession of the S-400 air protection system successfully removes the F-35 from consideration. This stance is exemplified by the case of Turkey, the place Ankara’s acquisition of the S-400 led to its expulsion from the F-35 program by the United States.

Will the US make an exception for India can’t be predicted!

Additionally, the acquisition of such plane wouldn’t solely be costly however would additionally require the event of an enormous help infrastructure, making it financially impractical for the procurement of just a few planes.

This state of affairs successfully narrows down the choices for buying stealth plane solely from Russia. At current, Moscow possesses a fleet of Su-57 fighter jets, albeit in restricted portions.

However, Air Marshal Anil Chopra (Retired), in his piece for EurAsian Times, pointed out that India was concerned within the FGFA program for a substantial interval and possesses a transparent understanding of the know-how and the distribution of labor, which at present isn’t advantageous.

There is one more potential possibility from Russia: the Checkmate Su-75 stealth plane. Moscow has been proposing that India take part within the Su-75 program.

The Su-57 challenge, nonetheless, is at present in a state of uncertainty, and amidst the continuing battle with Ukraine, monetary help for the challenge is missing, putting it in the same stage of growth as India’s personal AMCA.

Chopra concluded that contemplating the choices, it could be wiser to lean in the direction of the already-acquired Rafale plane.

It is excessive time that the Indian authorities accelerates the tempo of growth for the Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft (AMCA) within the broader scheme of strategic initiatives.

This sentiment was lately echoed by former Indian Air Force Chief Rakesh Kumar Singh Bhadauria, who advocated a concerted nationwide effort to raise the challenge’s significance. He burdened the significance of collaborative efforts from all companies to make sure the challenge’s profitable completion.