- 5/31/2025
The government has approved the "execution model" for implementing a major indigenous project to develop India's fifth-generation, deep-penetration Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft (AMCA) for the Air Force, potentially making India the fourth country to possess such stealth fighter jets.
Category
🗞
NewsTranscript
00:00Hello and a very warm welcome to a special edition of Battle Cry.
00:04I'm Gaurav Savant.
00:05Made in India, weapons prove their mettle in Operation Sindhur.
00:09In fact, Pakistan's Prime Minister and Pakistan's army shudder
00:12at the thought of the Brahmo supersonic cruise missiles fired off a Su-30 MKI
00:17that degraded multiple Pakistani air force bases
00:21and also the terror headquarters at Bahawalpur and Muridke.
00:26The Narendra Modi government has now taken a big leap of faith
00:31taking the Atmanirbhar Bharat route on the AMCA
00:35or the Advanced Multi-Role Combat Aircraft,
00:38the fifth generation stealth aircraft for Indian Air Force.
00:43Now, during the course of the next half hour,
00:45we get you the big story on Atmanirbhar AMCA.
00:48Former Chief of Air Staff, Air Chief Marshal RKS Bhodoria
00:51will join me moments from now.
00:53But before that, I want you to listen to the concerns of Chief of Air Staff,
00:58Air Chief Marshal AP Singh,
01:00on promises that have been made and not fulfilled.
01:05On national security, India, especially at this stage,
01:09cannot afford any slip-ups.
01:12The Air Chief said,
01:13to be future ready, we have to be now ready.
01:17And once a commitment on delivery of weapon systems and platforms has been made,
01:21there cannot be any delays or slippages.
01:26And he said,
01:30the kind of commitment that's required from the industry,
01:34whether it's the private sector and it's a golden opportunity for them,
01:38he made it very clear,
01:40this should not be that golden opportunity lost.
01:43Listen in to Air Chief Marshal AP Singh.
01:48We need to have this trust between the forces and the industry continued.
01:55We need to have the communication continued.
01:59We need to be open with each other.
02:00We need to be very open and forthright with each other
02:05so that this relationship doesn't break down anywhere.
02:09You know, I'm...
02:10that...
02:11I am just told today only.
02:18I think that is something that we have to do.
02:19I am not going into numbers.
02:30Air Force is trying its best to do maximum possible
02:33as far as MAKE in India is concerned,
02:35MAKE program, IDEX program,
02:38the number of orders that have been given to the Indian industry,
02:42some of the rules that the government made.
02:45I am not saying that we would have come on this path on our own.
02:50There were times when we were always, you know,
02:54doubting the Indian industry
02:55that it cannot give us the kind of return that we want,
02:58it cannot give us the product that we want,
03:00and we were looking outward more.
03:02But over the last decade plus,
03:06I think things have changed quite a bit.
03:09A knuckle on our...
03:10a wrap on our knuckles has, you know,
03:12made us think inward and look inward,
03:14and then we've realized that,
03:15yes, there are a lot of opportunities that we have within India.
03:19And now,
03:21also, the current situation in the world
03:23has made us realize
03:24that Aat Nirbharta is the only solution.
03:28So let me quickly tell you
03:30some of the specs or the specifications of India's AMCA.
03:33It's a fifth-generation stealth aircraft.
03:36It will have advanced sensors,
03:38and data fusion is for future warfare.
03:42Advanced avionics.
03:43Now, it will have its own smart weapons,
03:45especially weapons that can destroy the enemy airfield,
03:50air-to-air missiles,
03:51air-to-ground missiles and rockets,
03:53advanced weaponry.
03:54The internal weapon payload is about 1,500 kilograms.
03:58The external payload is another 5,500 kilograms.
04:01The internal fuel capacity is 6,500 kilograms.
04:05The first flight,
04:07it's 2025 right now,
04:09within two years.
04:10That is what is being promised.
04:12By 2027,
04:13it will have its first flight,
04:15the first prototype.
04:16Five prototypes are to be made.
04:18It is likely,
04:19it's expected,
04:20that by early to mid-2030s,
04:24it will be a part of the Indian Air Force.
04:27And this is that big, big dream.
04:30And the air chief very clearly saying,
04:33there should be no slippages.
04:35Pran jai par vachan na jai.
04:38You've made a commitment,
04:39fulfill it,
04:40whatever the cost.
04:42Atmanirvar Bharat route has to be taken.
04:46But to take that route,
04:47and especially,
04:48given we have two hostile neighbors
04:49to the north and to the west,
04:51the industry must deliver.
04:53The government also must deliver.
04:56Let me quickly take this to my colleague,
04:57Sandeep Unnithan,
04:59who joins us four more on this.
05:00Sandeep,
05:01the air chief is very clearly calling a spade,
05:03a spade.
05:04Given that hostile environment,
05:06the forces are operating in,
05:08the speedy modernization of China,
05:10and because of China,
05:11so Pakistan, of course,
05:12begs for weapons.
05:14The air chief is very right.
05:16We cannot afford any slippages whatsoever.
05:20Absolutely, Gaurav.
05:21In fact,
05:22you know,
05:22the air chief's statements,
05:24he's made them in private,
05:26in the past,
05:26in March,
05:27in Bengaluru.
05:29His comments were picked up on a hot mic,
05:31and they went viral.
05:33And of course,
05:34he said that at the CIA meeting,
05:37where,
05:37in public,
05:38where he is actually lambasted,
05:40the delays in the programs.
05:41And you have to see where he is coming from,
05:43Gaurav.
05:43You know,
05:44the fact is that the Indian Air Force today is down by 25% of its sanctioned strength.
05:48It is 10 squadrons,
05:5110 fighter jet squadrons,
05:52short of its 42 squadron target.
05:56And that is completely inadequate.
05:57The Air Force sees it as inadequate to manage these two fronts with Pakistan and China.
06:02And the fact is that,
06:04where the Air Force chief's angst comes from,
06:07is the fact that,
06:07HAL was to deliver 11 fighter jets by this year.
06:13They couldn't do that for various reasons.
06:15One is,
06:15of course,
06:15the delay in the supply of the engines.
06:18But he's saying that,
06:19look,
06:19apart from just the engines,
06:21you were supposed to give the airframes as well.
06:23That hasn't happened.
06:23So,
06:24there's a lot of unhappiness in the Air Force over HAL.
06:28And the fact is that,
06:29they don't seem to be very serious and,
06:32you know,
06:33keen to meet the Indian Air Force's requirements.
06:36And that,
06:37I think,
06:37is the problem right here,
06:40Gaurav.
06:40And he wants to get the private sector in as well.
06:43And that's the point,
06:44Sandeep,
06:44I was coming to.
06:45This is a big faith,
06:46big leap of faith when it comes to India's private sector.
06:50So,
06:50while the aeronautical development agency is to spearhead the project,
06:54HAL will be one of the bidders,
06:56either with or,
06:58you know,
06:59separately.
06:59The private sector in the coming years and decades can play a huge role in coming of age of Indian aviation,
07:07golden opportunity for them right now.
07:09Absolutely,
07:10Gaurav.
07:10In fact,
07:11you have to look at other such strategic projects that have been executed successfully with the private sector and the public sector.
07:17Both of them bringing their respective strengths to the table.
07:20If you look at the case of the Arihant nuclear submarine program,
07:24the ATV program,
07:25we have four nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarines in the water as of today.
07:32And this was a program that was started in great secrecy in the face of technology denial regimes with our strategic partners,
07:39the Russian Federation.
07:41And of course,
07:42Lassen & Tubro,
07:43Tata Power,
07:44the DRDO,
07:45all of these companies,
07:46they came together and they built that submarine on time.
07:50And today we have four of these behemoths,
07:526,000 ton strategic submarines in the water.
07:55So there's no reason why we couldn't do the same with other programs as well.
08:00The ATV program is more or less on schedule,
08:03Gaurav.
08:03It's,
08:04you know,
08:04in the face of all the technology denial regimes,
08:07we've managed to put those four submarines in the water.
08:10Yes.
08:10The Air Force now wants to do the same for the AMCA.
08:13So no longer is it going to be a nomination kind of project where,
08:16say,
08:17HAL becomes the only company that manufactures these aircraft.
08:20It is going to be consortiums.
08:22It will be the best of the public sector,
08:25that is HAL,
08:25and the private sector,
08:27that is possibly the Tata's and Lassen & Tubro.
08:30And all of them will come together to make this aircraft.
08:32And the idea is to get some kind of competition going as well,
08:35Gaurav,
08:36and,
08:36you know,
08:37basically to get the best of both the private and public sector to deliver these aircraft on time.
08:43Because it's a very,
08:44very critical requirement.
08:45It indeed is.
08:47The adversaries are arming themselves and really fast.
08:50Instead of going in for an interim aircraft,
08:53the government's putting its faith.
08:54And the Air Force,
08:56remember,
08:56they are the ones who have to fly these aircraft and protect us,
08:59protect our nation.
09:00So this has to be the whole of the nation approach.
09:02Sandeep,
09:03many thanks for joining me.
09:04The big,
09:05big story here on Battlecry is Defense Minister Rajnath Singh's announcement,
09:11approval for the execution model for the made in India,
09:15fifth generation,
09:15deep penetration,
09:16advanced medium combat aircraft,
09:18or the AMCA for the Indian Air Force.
09:21Now,
09:21so far,
09:22and do keep this in mind,
09:23so far only the United States with its F-22s and F-35s,
09:27China with its J-20s,
09:28and Russia with the Su-57 operate the fifth generation fighter jet and the stealth aircraft.
09:35What is extremely significant is that the initial development cost of this project,
09:40of India's AMCA project,
09:42estimated to be about 15,000 crore rupees.
09:44The ADA,
09:45or the Aeronautical Development Agency,
09:47will spearhead this program,
09:49but there will be strategic industry partnerships.
09:53And that's that big trust that India is placing in the private sector, too.
10:06With the made in India weapons proving themselves in the battlefield during Operation Sindur,
10:11the Narendra Modi government has decided to push ahead with the Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft,
10:18or AMCA project,
10:19through the Atmanirwar Bharat route.
10:23Raksha Muntri Rajnath Singh approved the AMCA program,
10:28which the Aeronautical Development Agency,
10:31or ADA is set to execute through private and public partnership.
10:40The government in a statement said,
10:43The execution model approach provides equal opportunities to both private and public sectors
10:49on a competitive basis.
10:51They can bid either independently,
10:54or as a joint venture,
10:57or as a consortia.
10:59The entity bidder should be an Indian company,
11:02compliant with the laws and regulations of the country.
11:06At the AeroIndia show at Yalahanka,
11:13India today had reported on not just the first mock-up of AMCA,
11:18but also spoke to the project director and the team.
11:23We have got the sanction for the full-scale engineering development of the AMCA in April 2024.
11:29We thank the Indian government for giving us this prestigious project
11:34to the Aeronautical Development Agency,
11:36which is the ADA has been steering this particular program
11:40from its conceptual state.
11:42We have started our official journey in 2010,
11:45and today we are focusing to the country
11:48the full-scale engineering model of the AMCA,
11:53demonstrating the key technological advances
11:57that our country has achieved
12:00with our indigenous efforts.
12:04The Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft
12:06will be India's fifth-generation fighter jet.
12:09The Cabinet Committee on Security
12:11had approved the 15,000 crore-rupee project
12:14in March 2024
12:16for five prototypes.
12:18The first prototype
12:19is expected by 2028-29.
12:24The Indian Air Force plans to induct the first AMCA
12:26by 2035.
12:28IAF plans to acquire between 160 to 200 AMCAs.
12:35That's between 7 and 10 squadrons by 2047.
12:40The first flight of AMCA is set for late 2030s.
12:46Mass production is targeted between 2035-36.
12:51The government has given a major push to the AMCA project,
12:58with Pakistan seeking 30 to 40 J35 fifth-generation fighters
13:04from China after Pakistan's debacle in Operation Sindur.
13:10AMCA development is proposed in two phases,
13:14a Mk1 with the General Electric F414 engines
13:19and a Mk2 with a more powerful engine
13:22planned to be co-developed in future.
13:25Vichwani Sharma and Sandeep Unnithan,
13:30Bureau Report, India Today.
13:35And joining me now on the Battle Cry special broadcast
13:38is Air Chief Marshal RKS Bhadoria,
13:40former Chief of Air Staff,
13:42on this big, big story of AMCA
13:45finally getting the green lights.
13:47What do you make of the Raksha Mantri's announcement on AMCA?
13:51This announcement is really a big step
13:55towards involvement of private sector.
13:58And I think very clearly from the government side,
14:01from the Ministry of Defense,
14:02it's a big leap of faith
14:04into the capabilities of our private sector.
14:09And for a project like AMCA,
14:11which is the top-end project in terms of technologies,
14:14in terms of its importance and importance strategically,
14:19I think it is a very big step.
14:21Now it is open to private sector to bid.
14:25It's open to private sector in partnership with the public sector
14:31or as a consortium of private sector companies
14:34or a consortium of private sector plus public sector.
14:37So it throws open the entire combination that is possible.
14:42And will HAL look at it as a setback
14:45for Hindustan Aeronautics Limited
14:47or they can concentrate on what we are going ahead with already?
14:50And this is, in a way, a second line coming up
14:53for future generation aircraft.
14:55See, HAL has been in military aircraft production for a long time.
14:59So obviously, they would look at it as a setback in a sense.
15:04But I think they should look at it positively
15:05because finally we have to get this entire defense industrial set up right
15:12as an ecosystem for the future.
15:15And they must play a proactive role
15:18to synergize with private sector,
15:21with MSMEs, with startups,
15:25which are huge potential, especially in R&D.
15:28Okay, so HAL must now, you know, move forward
15:32towards this direction
15:34to work in a kind of a consortium approach with private sector
15:38and should not hesitate to take part
15:41in a consortium with private sector leading.
15:44So these are signs of change
15:45and it is very important for the industry.
15:47Sir, when you look at timelines,
15:49we are looking at some of the timelines
15:50of the advanced medium combat aircraft coming up.
15:54Pakistan is likely to acquire
15:56China's hand-me-downs J-20s
15:59in some time from now.
16:01We are looking at a timeline of mid-2030s.
16:04Is that a cause for concern for us?
16:06It is very important, firstly,
16:10if your sense of the question is
16:13that whether we should import some,
16:14you know, in the interim,
16:16some fifth-generation aircraft,
16:18my answer is no.
16:19No.
16:19Government has clearly put their faith on AMCA
16:22and now we need to do everything as a nation
16:25to expedite the AMCA.
16:28There are many more things that can be done.
16:30This is a step,
16:31first major step taken by the government
16:33with this announcement yesterday.
16:35The whole of nation approach,
16:37the whole of industry approach,
16:38I think we can expedite many of the things
16:41in terms of R&D and production of AMCA.
16:43Sir, that's a very significant point you're making.
16:45Go on, go on, sir.
16:46The second issue is what do we do in the interim.
16:49The second part is is there a cause of concern?
16:53I think that cause of concern
16:55in terms of what Pakistan is going to get from China
16:57in the interim, be it J-20
17:00or there's some news of J-35 equivalents
17:02they are going to supply in a hurry.
17:04Let them get, you know,
17:06that will be studied.
17:09What is important is in the interim,
17:11how do you handle these threats?
17:13And there are ways and means of tackling this threat
17:16that they will have.
17:17We have already demonstrated our capabilities
17:20in the air defense zones, so to say,
17:24in the air to ground precision zones
17:26in terms of standoff.
17:27So therefore, we'll need to have an action plan
17:29to be able to sort this out.
17:32I think that's the way to go.
17:33That's a very important point you're making.
17:35Are we to understand that the way
17:37BrahMos supersonic cruise missiles performed
17:40in Operation Sindhur
17:41and BrahMos mated on the Su-30 MKI,
17:44in the interim,
17:45are we looking at that as perhaps
17:48being the backbone of any operations?
17:51Should there be a need?
17:52Because they've proven themselves
17:53till the time AMCA comes.
17:55They're proven and we cannot rest
17:57on where the BrahMos is today.
18:00We need to do much more
18:01in this interim period.
18:03And that will only sort out the air to ground
18:05in terms of standoff targeting.
18:07So BrahMos and its, you know,
18:09for the versions,
18:10more standoff, more accurate,
18:12more survivable in terms of, you know,
18:15the environment of the battlefield.
18:18But in terms of stealth capability
18:21that Pakistan is likely to get before us,
18:23we'll have to take some other measures
18:24in order to be able to detect
18:26by some means,
18:27to be able to still hold them off
18:30our borders or LOCs much inside
18:34so that they are unable to launch.
18:37And should they be able to launch
18:38their cruise missiles
18:39or their standoff weapons
18:40to be able to tackle the weapons?
18:42So there are ways and means.
18:43I don't want to go into how and why of it.
18:46Okay.
18:46That needs to be done technologically
18:48and capability-wise.
18:50But given,
18:51there are ways to sort this out.
18:53So, you know,
18:55and the way we were able to witness
18:56Op Sindhuur
18:57and the stellar performance
18:59of Indian armed forces.
19:00So more surface-to-air missiles,
19:03more Astra air-to-air missiles,
19:05longer-range missiles
19:06on our fighter jets.
19:07Is that what we are looking at?
19:09Because the future of combat,
19:11are we to understand
19:12that we will keep our aircraft
19:14in our territory predominantly,
19:15they will keep their aircraft
19:16in their territory predominantly,
19:18and have these longer-range missiles
19:20go at each other,
19:20air-to-air and air-to-ground?
19:21To start with,
19:23yes,
19:24unless and until that
19:26you come to a stage
19:26where you have disabled
19:28their defenses
19:28to the extent
19:29where your aircraft can penetrate.
19:31So there will be stages
19:32in terms of,
19:34you know,
19:35how the combat would be planned,
19:37how the mission would be planned.
19:38But to start with,
19:39yes,
19:39it will be all stand-off,
19:40be it air-to-ground,
19:41be it air-to-air.
19:42A huge stand-off,
19:43the ranges,
19:45and ability to shoot first
19:46and shoot safer distance
19:48is the key.
19:48Would we also require,
19:49that means,
19:49additional AVAX
19:50for more battlefield transparency?
19:52Yes, yes,
19:53we will need much more.
19:54I think it's a very important call
19:57for the industry
19:58in terms of indigenous capability
20:00that we have to change
20:02the levels of technologies
20:03and the kind of weapons.
20:05Although conventional weapons,
20:06so to say,
20:06that we are looking,
20:07and I think we should also review
20:09wherever we are spending money
20:11on conventional weapons
20:12which are no longer,
20:13or their carriers
20:14or their combat systems
20:17which are no longer relevant.
20:18For example?
20:20So any short-range weapon,
20:21any aircraft that cannot carry
20:23any long air-to-ground missile,
20:27long distance,
20:28or a good air-to-air missile,
20:30things like attack helicopters,
20:33you know,
20:34if the fighters are getting so vulnerable,
20:35how do attack helicopters survive?
20:38So there is a whole lot of rethink,
20:39I think, required
20:40in the kind of weapons
20:41that we will develop.
20:42And also the kind of money
20:44that is already being spent
20:46on some of these conventional weapons
20:49which probably we need to rethink.
20:51So we have to just do a complete shift
20:53as to how the battlefield
20:55is changing rapidly for the future.
20:57And if I were to ask you,
20:59when you look at our adversaries
21:00either to the north or to the west,
21:03you know, both Pakistan and China
21:05and they operating in tandem,
21:07are we also looking at a scenario
21:08that AMCA or a future aircraft,
21:11so right now we're looking at
21:12GE 404 engines,
21:14subsequently GE 414 engines,
21:16but are you also thinking
21:17that we need to do something else
21:19where we have more control
21:20over our fighter jet engines?
21:22Of course, of course.
21:24The AMCA which is initially
21:25going to come out,
21:26it will be with the 414 engines.
21:28And it is very important now to,
21:31and I'm sure the government
21:32would be doing so quite soon,
21:34in terms of clearing the project
21:37of joint development
21:37of a fighter engine.
21:39Yes.
21:40A fifth generation engine
21:41which will finally engine the AMCA.
21:44So engine program
21:46and expediting that,
21:47and again,
21:48shrinking those timelines
21:49would be very important.
21:51And mind you,
21:52the sense that you mentioned,
21:54it's not that it's not a concern
21:55that by the time AMCA comes,
21:57it will take another 10 years.
21:58But the issue is that
22:00should you import
22:01a fifth generation today,
22:02we would have killed AMCA.
22:04And we would have killed
22:04the complete technological
22:06development cycle
22:07of a fifth and sixth generation.
22:08So that is what is important.
22:11And at the same time,
22:14you cannot just tie Air Force's hands
22:16in terms of,
22:17you know,
22:17so there has to be,
22:18many other steps
22:19need to be taken
22:20to address this concern.
22:22And AMCA and the engine
22:23need to be really speeded up.
22:26Yes.
22:26Only then this approach
22:28would work fine.
22:30How confident are you
22:31that from the announcement
22:33that's been made
22:34by the government on AMCA
22:35and the Swadeshi thrust to AMCA
22:38to the aircraft flying,
22:41weaponized aircraft flying,
22:43you know,
22:43we saw the problems
22:44we faced with
22:45the light combat aircraft,
22:46that there shouldn't be
22:47a repeat of that
22:47in this century,
22:49in this era.
22:50It will not be a repeat
22:51of light combat aircraft,
22:52but if you're not careful,
22:54the timelines in any DRDO project
22:56or any project of this nature
22:58can slip easily.
22:59Therefore,
23:00our lessons learned from LCA
23:02must go deep
23:03and therefore,
23:03it's very important
23:04yesterday's announcement.
23:05It has to be
23:06a whole-of-nation approach
23:07from an industrial perspective
23:08and everybody needs
23:10to come together.
23:10We have to really,
23:12you know,
23:12the walls between DRDO labs,
23:15DPSUs,
23:16them not allowing private sector
23:17to really come into it.
23:18We need to just overcome all this
23:20and expedite the production of AMCAR.
23:24I think the key lies there,
23:26synergy in the industry
23:27and expedite this project.
23:29And the private sector,
23:30you're confident
23:30that the private sector
23:31is also in a position
23:33to deliver,
23:34they'll be able to shape up
23:35and deliver?
23:36Yes, yes.
23:37Today,
23:37I think technologically
23:38and ability-wise,
23:39there's no doubt.
23:40But the chance
23:41in terms of its full,
23:43in full form
23:44was never given to them.
23:45And this is now,
23:47onus is on private sector
23:48that they need to do
23:49everything possible
23:50in terms of putting
23:51their efforts,
23:52both in terms of money,
23:53risk-taking,
23:54and the kind of effort
23:55required for these kind of projects,
23:57and deliver.
23:58If they don't deliver now,
24:00they will never get another chance.
24:01And therefore,
24:02it is very important.
24:04It's a, you know,
24:06responsibility on the private sector,
24:09MSME, startups now,
24:10to make use of this opportunity
24:12and deliver.
24:13And I'm sure they'll deliver.
24:14I have my own, you know,
24:16faith in the private sector
24:17and the startups in particular.
24:19It's a giant leap of faith, sir,
24:21for joining me here
24:22on Battlecry.
24:23Many thanks.
24:24It's a giant leap of faith
24:26that the nation is taking
24:27the whole of the nation approach
24:29to ensure that AMCAR,
24:31that advanced medium combat aircraft,
24:34it not just takes wing,
24:36but also remains
24:37a very potent weapons platform
24:40that India requires
24:41as quickly as possible.
Recommended
28:31
|
Up next
2:42