India has embarked upon an ambitious project to indigenously design anddevelop a fifth generation Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft (AMCA) by2017.The government released Rs. 100 crore last month to the Bangalore-basedAeronautical Development Agency (ADA), which will spearhead theproject, to prepare feasibility studies in 18 months. The ADA is anautonomous organisation under the Ministry of Defence.
Disclosing this to reporters here on Saturday, ADA Director andProgramme Director (Combat Aircraft) P.S. Subramanyam said AMCA, whendeveloped and produced, would probably be the first medium combataircraft with 20 tonne weight in the world. Similar aircraft beingdeveloped by the United States and Russia are in the range of 30 to 35tonnes.
ADA seeks $2 bn for advanced medium combat aircraft
the Aeronautical Development Agency (ADA), an autonomous body under thedepartment of defence research and development, Ministry of Defence, is seeking a $2-billion (approximately Rs 9,060 crore) fund for the development of the advanced medium combat aircraft (AMCA).
“We have just started working on this fifth-generation aircraft, forwhich we had already received sanctions to the tune of Rs 100 crore.The way the government is cooperating, I am able to say that we willreceive the funding ($2 billion) in the next 18 months,” PSSubramanyam, programme director (combat aircraft) and director of ADA,told Business Standard.
The AMCA will be designed with a small radar cross-section and willfeature internal weapons and advanced electronic systems. Thetwin-engined, stealth-multirole fighter will be equipped with missileslike the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO)’s Astra,besides stand-off and precision weapons.
“The$2-billion fund will initially be utilised to develop two technologydemonstrators and seven prototypes. The first flight test is expectedto take place by 2017,” he said on the sidelines of the Aviation Conclave 2010, which concluded here on Saturday.
Stating that the AMCAs were aimed at bridging the gap between lightcombat aircraft (LCA) Tejas and Sukhoi heavy weight fighters,Subramanyam said though Russia and the United States were intodesigning of similar aircraft that weigh 30-35 tonne, the AMCA wouldweigh only 20 tonne.
“Though the AMCAs were primarily beingdesigned to meet the requirements of the Indian Air Force, we arecontemplating rolling out a new variant for the Indian Navy as well,” he said, adding ADA would commence research and development on the six-generation AMCA aircraft shortly.
