Knowledge Nugget: Why India’s 5th-Gen Fighter Jet AMCA is important for UPSC Prep

Why in the news?

India’s planned fifth-generation fighter jet—advanced medium combat aircraft (AMCA) — hit a new milestone on 27th May with Defence Minister Rajnath Singh approving the execution model. With this, the state-owned Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) will have to bid independently or in partnership with other firms to get the contract for manufacturing it. The execution model approach provides equal opportunities to both the private and public sectors on a competitive basis.

Key Takeaways:

1. The Aeronautical Development Agency (ADA) under the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO)—the agency that will design the aircraft—is set to execute the programme through industry partnership.

2. The initial development cost of the project has been estimated at around Rs 15,000 crore. The IAF has been pushing for the AMCA project in view of its long-term requirement.

3. The manufacturing of the aircraft will bring India into a select league of nations that possess its fifth-generation fighter aircraft—the US (F-22 Raptor and F-35A Lightning II), China (J-20 Mighty Dragon), and Russia (Sukhoi Su-57).

Features of AMCA:

1. STEALTH: The 25-tonne twin-engine aircraft, which will be bigger than other fighters in the Indian Air Force inventory, will have advanced stealth features to avoid detection by enemy radar.

2. FUEL & WEAPONS: The aircraft will have a large, concealed internal fuel tank of 6.5-tonne capacity, and an internal weapons bay for a range of weapons, including indigenous weapons, to be buried in its belly.

3. ENGINE: The AMCA Mk1 variant will have the US-built GE414 engine of the 90 kilonewton (kN) class, while the more advanced AMCA Mk2 will fly on the more powerful 110kN engine, which will be developed indigenously by DRDO’s Gas Turbine Research Establishment (GTRE) in collaboration with a foreign defence major.

4. Other features such as a diverterless supersonic inlet for controlling air flow into the engines, and a serpentine air intake duct to shield the engines from radar emissions, are likely to be part of the AMCA.

5. The AMCA will be India’s indigenous fifth-generation fighter aircraft. The indigenous Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) Tejas is a 4.5-generation single-engine multirole aircraft.

How is it different from the fourth-generation combat aircraft?

📍The primary difference is in stealth features. The aircraft will have a low electro-magnetic signature, which will make it difficult for enemy radar to detected it. At the same time, it will have powerful sensors and new weapons, so it is able to register the signature of enemy aircraft and take them out.

📍Stealth features such as an internal weapons bay and a bigger internal fuel tank are part of fifth-generation aircraft like AMCA. Up to four long-range air-to-air missiles and multiple precision-guided munitions can be carried in the internal weapons bay, with a payload of 1,500 kg.

📍External fuel tanks and externally attached weapons leave a huge signature and are easy to detect for radar. The special material that will be used on the aircraft surface will divert the radar signature instead of reflecting it back.

BEYOND THE NUGGET: The ‘generation’ in the fighter jet engine

Loosely put, a generational shift in fighter jets is said to occur when a certain technological innovation cannot be incorporated into an existing aircraft through upgrades and retrospective fit-outs — each new generation comes with a certain significant leap in technology. There are currently five generations of fighter jets that are (or were in the past) in active service, with sixth generation jets currently in development.

The Messerschmitt Me 262 Schwable, developed by Germany during World War II, is considered to be the world’s first jet fighter. (USAF)

1. First generation (1943 to 1955): They appeared in the final years of World War II. Notably, these jets still flew mostly at subsonic speeds and had very basic avionic systems and no self-protection measures.

Examples: Messerschmitt Me 262, North American 5-86 Sabre, Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-15, Hawker Hunter

A Romanian Mig-21F, the very first Mig-21 variant to be developed. (Govt of Romania)

2. Second generation (1955 to 1970): These aircraft for the first time were capable of transonic and supersonic dashes during level flight. They also boasted the very first fire control radars and semi-active guided missiles.

Examples: Mikoyan MiG-21F, Sukhoi SU-9, Lockheed F-104 Starfighter (interceptors), and Republic F-105 Thunderchief and Sukhoi SU-7B (fighter-bombers)

3. Third generation (1960-1970): This was the first generation of fighter jets designed to have multi-role capabilities. Also, it was the first with capabilities of beyond visual range air-to-air combat.

Examples: McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom, Mikoyan Gurevich MiG-23, Hawker Siddeley (later British Aerospace) Harrier.

Tejas (PTI)

4. Fourth generation (1970 to 2000s): True multi-role aircraft emerged only with this generation. It was the first generation of aircraft to use fly-by-wire (FBW) control systems.

Examples: Grumman F-14 ‘Tomcat’, General Dynamics F-16 Fighting Falcon, McDonnel Douglas (later Boeing) F/A-18 ‘Superhornet’, Sukhoi Su-35, Eurofighter Typhoon, HAL Tejas LCA, Dassault Rafale.

5. Fifth generation (2000 onwards): It has fully embraced stealth, advanced integrated avionics systems that provide the pilot with a complete picture of the battle space, and network capabilities.

Currently, only the US (F-22 and F-35), Russia (Sukhoi Su-57), and China (Chengdu J-20) have developed operational fifth generation aircraft. India is currently developing its own fifth-generation aircraft with AMCA.

Post read question

Consider the following aircraft: (UPSC CSE 2024)

1. Rafael

2. MiG-29

3. Tejas MK-1

How many of above are considered fifth generation fighter aircraft?

(a) Only one

(b) Only two

(c) All three

(d) None

(Sources: India’s fifth-gen fighter AMCA hits new milestone as Rajnath approves its programme execution model, Amid reports of sixth-gen Chinese aircraft, what does ‘generation’ mean in the context of fighter jets?,All about India’s indigenous fifth-gen fighter jet Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft (AMCA), and why it is important)

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