Produced by: Mohsin Shaikh
HAL won’t get a free pass this time. For the first time ever, India’s fifth-gen AMCA fighter will be up for competitive bidding—inviting private players to go toe-to-toe with the aerospace giant.
India’s AMCA isn’t just another jet—it’s a radar-dodging, belly-weaponed, twin-engine beast. With low EM signatures and concealed payloads, it’s being designed to see without being seen.
AMCA marks a break from tradition: no more handouts for HAL. The new model opens up India’s military manufacturing to real competition, shaking up the defence-industrial status quo.
With AMCA, India aims for aerospace self-reliance. A stealth jet built by Indian hands, in Indian skies, for Indian battles—designed to match global titans and outfly regional rivals.
As China tests sixth-gen prototypes and Pakistan eyes the J-35, India’s AMCA programme is racing against a rising geopolitical clock. The stealth race in Asia is officially on.
The Mk1 will fly with American GE-414s—but Mk2 is going bolder: a 110kN-class indigenous engine in collaboration with a foreign defence major. The goal? Break free from import chains.
With a 6.5-tonne internal fuel tank and internal weapons bay, AMCA is built for long, undetected strikes—carrying more firepower and fuel without sacrificing stealth.
Representatitve pic
The first flight is expected in five years, with full development pegged at ten. But with rising tensions and rapid Chinese advances, the clock is ticking louder than ever.
India will join an elite club—just the US, China, and Russia currently fly fifth-gen fighters. If AMCA succeeds, it won’t just be a jet—it’ll be a global signal.