As the United States and Russia pushes to sell its F-35 & Su-57 fighter jets, India is focusing on enhancing the role of the private sector in its indigenous fifth-generation Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft (AMCA) project. A committee has been established by the Defence Ministry, led by Defence Secretary Rajesh Kumar Singh, to explore ways to increase private sector involvement in the development of these advanced fighter jets. The committee includes members from the Air Force and Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL), a major aerospace public sector unit.

The government is considering multiple models for private sector participation, including joint ventures between HAL and private firms, as well as partnerships where private companies contribute to design and development.

However, given HAL's extensive experience in aerospace manufacturing, it is unlikely that the public sector unit will be bypassed entirely. Currently, HAL already outsources significant work to private companies like L&T, Godrej, and Azad Engineering.

The AMCA, designed by the Aeronautical Development Agency (ADA) for the Indian Air Force, was recently showcased at Aero India 2025 in Bangalore. This 25-ton aircraft is designed to have both manned and unmanned teaming capabilities, incorporating advanced AI features such as multi-sensor data fusion, a pilot decision support system, and automatic target identification.

The integration of AI is expected to enhance the aircraft's operational capabilities, making it one of the most advanced fifth-generation fighters globally. The TATA Group is another key player with experience in aircraft integration, currently working with Airbus on assembling C-295 transport aircraft in India.

The AI-powered electronic pilot comprises multi-sensor data fusion to enhance situational awareness, a pilot decision support system, an automatic target identification system, and a combined vision system for navigation in poor visibility conditions.

According to the ADA, the implementation of AI in AMCA aircraft will boost the ADA in progressing the development activities. It will also allow the AMCA aircraft to enhance operational capabilities making AMCA one of the most advanced 5th generation fighter aircraft among the contemporary aircraft.

ANI