India’s strength must emanate from its own genius. Joint development with the Russians of a fifth generation fighter is a good opportunity for it to leapfrog several steps in establishing a sound research and development base which when invested in AMCA or any other platform of choice, would give India the real muscle to dominate its claimed turf.

India’s indigenous Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) programme originally conceived in the mid-1980s has finally reached a stage where Squadron inductions could be anticipated in the next couple of years. As a logical next step, Indian aeronautical establishment has now embarked on a follow-up advanced medium combat aircraft (AMCA) to bridge the gap between light combat aircraft on the one hand and the heavy Su-30 MKI on the other. The mission is to develop a 20-tonne, twin engine, stealthy fifth generation multi-role fighter by 2017 at the cost of $2 billion ( Rs. 10,000 crore). It is to be designed for low observability or ‘stealth’, ‘super cruise’ or prolonged persistence at supersonic speed in dry power, super agility and a highly integrated suite of powerful active and passive sensors to give the pilot a 360-degree situational awareness. In other words, it is to possess all attributes that define the current of fifth generation aircraft both in service i.e. American F-22 Raptor as well as those under development i.e. the Russian PAK-FA and the US-led multi-nation joint strike fighter (JSF).

So far what has been put out in the public domain, the indigenous AMCA, appears more like a wish list of all that the aircraft should be. Being in the nature of generalities, no informed comment is possible. However, one basic question does come to mind and that relates to the planned size of the aircraft. All current and planned fifth generation fighters are in the 30 to 35 tonne class. That appears to be the required weight for a large enough platform for the carriage of meaningfully large payload, internally, a sine qua non for a stealth fighter. With its planned size, what niche mission profile is the AMCA to fulfil is not clear. However, notwithstanding absence of clarity on this account, yet it is a commendable initiative on the path to achieving self-sufficiency in design, development and manufacture of advanced weapon systems—a capability that must eventually underpin India’s security policy. From that standpoint alone, the project must be pursued with vigour incorporating all technological, manufacturing and organisational lessons learnt from the LCA and Su-30 experience.

While fully acknowledging and endorsing the logic of pursuing an advanced technology project like the AMCA, it is impossible to overlook not only the enormity of technological challenges involved, but also the past performance of defence PSUs in delivering projects on time. Therefore, it would be reasonable to assume that notwithstanding the 2017 timeline for the project’s fructification, in the next decade or more, India’s fifth generation fighter capability is likely to reside only in the Russian PAK-FA (or FGFA as we would have it) currently under development, for which India has committed $6 billion ( Rs. 30,000 crore) and also received 25 per cent work share. It is the capability which this aircraft brings to the table (rather than the AMCA) that would be of operational interest in the next 10 to 20 years time frame.

Earlier media reports suggested that IAF was to acquire 200 plus fifth generation fighters. The first tranche was to consist of 50 single-seat PAK-FAs. The balance, twin-seat FGFAs were to be custom built to IAF’s specifications albeit on the same platform. IAF’s requirement predominantly of twin-seat aircraft was in accordance with the IAF’s concept of employment of the aircraft. However, in a press conference on October 3, 2011, IAF chief Air Chief Marshal N.A.K. Browne revealed that the IAF planned to induct a total of 214 fifth generation aircraft consisting of 166 single-seat PAK-FAs and 48 twin-seat FGFAs. Unless there is an error in the report, the Chief’s statement represents a major deviation from the earlier IAF thinking on the employment philosophy of this extremely potent weapon system. If the IAF opts for single-seat PAK-FAs as the bulk of its proposed fifth generation inventory, it is likely to get ownership in a shorter time frame than if it were to consist of extensively re-engineered airframes as for the FGFA.