Puttaparthi To Be Centre For Producing India’s 5th-generation Fighter Jets

The aerospace and defense ecosystem proposed around Puttaparthi Airport and spread over an area of ​​approximately 650 acres is expected to include the AMCA project and subsidiaries of Bharat Benz. The initiative is expected to boost industrial development in Sri Sathya Sai district, officials said.

Defense minister Rajnath Singh, along with Prime Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu, conducted the groundbreaking ceremony of the AMCA project, which is positioned as a milestone towards self-reliance in advanced defense production under India’s Atmanirbhar Bharat mission.

Developed by the Aeronautical Development Agency under the Defense Research and Development Organization (DRDO), AMCA is envisioned as a twin-engine, multi-role stealth fighter aircraft equipped with advanced avionics, sensor fusion systems, artificial intelligence-enabled mission systems and internal compartments for weapons.

AMCA will have advanced integrated sensor suites, AESA radar, infrared search and tracking systems, electronic warfare suites, multi-sensor data fusion, 360-degree situational awareness and autonomous mission support systems. The aircraft is designed with radar-absorbing materials and deflector-less supersonic air intakes to reduce the radar signature. It will carry both internal and external weapons, including beyond visual range missiles, precision-guided bombs, anti-ship missiles and melee missiles.

The aircraft was developed for multiple combat missions, including air superiority missions, precision strikes, naval warfare and suppression, and destruction of enemy air defense systems, officials said.

According to technical details exhibited at the event, the aircraft is expected to reach a maximum speed of Mach 1.8, operate at a service ceiling of 55,000 feet and carry a payload of up to 6,500 kg in a non-stealth configuration.

Leaving 40 years behind its establishment, the Aviation Development Agency stated that it has developed more than 190 domestic Line Replaceable Units (LRU) and carried out more than 6,000 developmental test flights through various fighter aircraft programs.

Officials said the success of the LCA (light combat aircraft) Tejas program laid the technological foundation for the AMCA project. The agency stated that collaborations have been established with national laboratories, academic institutions, PSUs, MSMEs and start-ups to strengthen India’s defense-aerospace ecosystem. Two Indian Air Force squadrons deployed LCA Tejas. The improved LCA AF Mk1A variant will enter service soon.