Tejas to AMCA, Gen-5 fighter on track, may spread its wings by 2025

The second of a two-part series focuses on the capabilities of India's most ambitious fighter programme, the Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft (AMCA), and what design challenges it is facing

With the Indian Air Force (IAF) already operating the Tejas Mark 1 fighter, the Aeronautical Development Agency (ADA) developing the Tejas Mark 2 and Hindustan Aeronautics (HAL) building the interim Tejas Mark 1A, there have been important breakthroughs in India’s most ambitious fighter programme: the futuristic Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft (AMCA).

Girish Deodhare, who heads ADA, the Defence R&D Organisation (DRDO) agency that oversees the Tejas and AMCA programmes, briefed Business Standard on the capabilities and development of the AMCA — a stealthy, fifth-generation (5-gen), medium weight fighter that is slated to be a match for any adversary in the