HAL AMCA :: IS INDIA NOW ABLE TO DEVELOP IT’s FIFTH GENERATION FIGHTER JET

India, a country who recently developed its own first indigenous fighter (LCA TEJAS) which is single engine, single seat and multi role fighter jet. But till India is not able to build its own engine which is the main power house for any Fighter jet but India is developing it at a very fast rate.

Does it sound realistic that A COUNTRY WHO MADE IT’S FIRST JET RECENTLY AFTER A LONG STRUGGLE, now he is thinking that he can make a fifth generation fighter which is capable to coupe with fighter jets of countries like USA(only country who have its own fifth generation fighter jet in operational state).

Yes, India has many plans to do for its military, from its plan one is to develop a fifth generation fighter jet for its Air-force. Govt. Promoting Indian defense player to come up and make good quality products so that countries need for defense would be fulfilled at domestic level as well as govt. Aims to become a export player in defense manufacturing that’s they backing defense manufacturer in India.

Lets come to point on Hal AMCA

In 2008, IAF asked ADA to prepare a detailed report on fighter which is of 20 ton and have some stealth feature. Air-force chief asked this because of India’s Air-force fleet aging and to remain and balance the power in the region India need a strong Air-force.

But in 2010 requirements were changed by Air-force now they want 25 ton stealth fighter jet and they also asked ADA is AMCA’s first prototype flight can take off by 2025?

After the completion of study ADA found that they need at-least 9000 crore for this project in which different technologies are developed and at-least seven prototype be prepared, they submitted this to Govt.

In 2012 final design is approved by Air-force, after that HAL and ADA are working on this project with their full speed. ADA said that they will make first prototype by 2022, hope this statement by ADA will become true.

AMCA is designed by ADA and manufactured by HAL. AMCA will be a single seat, Twin engine, stealth multi-role fighter jet. First stage of AMCA is done and stage two work is started. It’s first flight is scheduled in 2025. Not only Air-force but Navy also interested in this project, because navy also want a Naval version of this Fighter. Navy also invested in this project. It is supposed that it will consist of all modern weapons and modern avionics, some of them are under development and remaining taken from tejas, Rafale, Su-30mki and other modern fighter jets. Speed of AMCA will be 2,655 km/h and this fighter jet will be powered by Kaveri engine which is under development stage. AMCA also consists of modern sensors, Radars, Missiles which will be a mix of Israel, India, Russia, France and some other technologies from India’s friendly countries too.

The broad requirements outlined for the AMCA are to incorporate a high degree of stealth, a high internal and external weapons payload, high internal fuel capacity, and the ability to swing from an air-to-air role to air-to-ground. It is also expected to have the ability to super cruise. This allows the aircraft to travel at supersonic speeds with greater endurance as the afterburners do not have to be used with the additional fuel usage.

Even though future air combat has been envisaged as being beyond visual range excluding the likelihood of aerial dogfights as before, the AMCA is expected to sport a thrust vectoring engine. The ADA is designed the AMCA as a platform with high survivability, to meet the challenges of future air defense environments through a combination of moderate stealth, electronic warfare capability, sensors and kinetic performance. The design philosophy seeks to balance aerodynamics and stealth capabilities.

The aircraft will have a weight of 16-18 tons. 16-18 tons with 2-tons of internal weapons and 4-tons of internal fuel. Combat ceiling will be 15-km, max speed of 1.8-Mach at 11-km. The AMCA will be powered by 2 x 90KN engines with vectored nozzles.
AMCA also comes with self protection jammer system to jam enemy radar guided missiles from both air and ground. electronic counter measure systems to confuse the infrared guided missiles and a radar warning receiver too added to detect enemy radar frequency’s.

Most important part is Engine and Armaments. Although configuration of Armaments are unclear, most-probability it will carry Indian weapons. Or Foreign weapons which are made-in India. The part of the Engine is still unclear. There is currently 2 options available. K9+ and K10 Engine. K9+ engine is designed and developed in India. Which would be successor of Kaveri? Second offer of K10 Engine is that the Engine will be made by Joint-Venture with any foreign country.

AMCA’s primary purpose is Multi-role fighter capability which includes Air superiority mission, Attack mission, Strike role, Precision targeting, Interceptor, and Bombing mission. As AMCA is intended to replace Sepecat Jaguar and Dassault Mirage 2000 which are assigned role of Multi-role aircraft with mainly Fighter bomber role. It will fill the role along with the Attack aircraft role as it is also going to replace Mikoyan MiG-27 and Mikoyan MiG-23.

India not only depended on AMCA because India also developing a fifth generation fighter with collaboration of its friendly nation Russia. India is developing at a very fast rate, as economy is emerging it need modern equipment for its protection. India has to develop its own Defense product, by which its reliability can be reduced. Their is a wide scope of export of cheap and better quality which India can tap. India has enemies at its door step (China and Pakistan). AMCA will play a role of game changer if India able to make it in short span of time.

 

HAL AMCA UPDATE

According to ADA, 2 Next Generation Technology Demonstrators (NGTD) of the AMCA are expected to make their first official flight. “The AMCA will feature geometric stealth and will initially fly with two GE-414 engines. Once we develop our own engines, it can be replaced with those…” said AMCA designer.

He added that “There are two major ways of making a military platform stealthier. One is geometric stealth and other is material stealth. In geometric stealth, the shape of the aircraft is designed at such angles so as to deflect away maximum radar waves thereby minimising its radar cross section. In material stealth, radar-absorbing materials are used in making the aircraft which will absorb the radio waves thus reducing the radar footprint.

The AMCA will initially be based on geometric stealth, we can look at material stealth at a later stage. Apart from the technologies developed from the LCA project, the new fighter program is important as technologies now being demonstrated will be applicable to the AMCA project.”

ADA officials were officially briefed by GE Officials on F414 Enhanced Engines and how it can be incorporated into e F414-INS6 engines selected by ADA for Previous MKII version of the Tejas Light Combat Aircraft. According to GE Aviation, F414 Enhanced Engine incorporates additional technical advancements that can be retrofitted into the existing engines like F414 engines at much lower ownership cost. GE till now has supplied ADA with Eight F414-INS6 engines which generate 98kN Class of Wet Thrust but F414 Enhanced Engine can generate 116 kN Class of Wet Thrust with 1% improved fuel burn over F414-INS6 engines with negligible weight gain.

This indigenous aircraft will be designed for ground attack, bombing, intercepting, strike and other various roles and will combine supercruise, stealth, advanced AESA radar, supermaneuverability and advanced avionics. India, through this project, again demonstrates its desire to give the priority to its own defense industry.