The Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft (AMCA) is India’s indigenous fifth-generation, twin-engine, stealth multirole fighter under development by the Aeronautical Development Agency (ADA) and DRDO, intended to give the Indian Air Force a genuinely low-observable air-superiority and strike platform beyond the fourth-generation-plus Tejas and Su-30MKI.[1]
AMCA is a single-seat, twin-engine fighter featuring a diamond-shaped planform, internal weapons bays, reduced radar-cross-section shaping, an advanced sensor suite with data fusion, and integrated electronic-warfare systems, alongside an active electronically scanned array radar. The design incorporates supercruise and super-manoeuvrability goals typical of fifth-generation fighter requirements.[2]
AMCA Mk1 is planned to fly with imported GE F414 engines, the same powerplant selected for the Tejas Mk2, while the more advanced AMCA Mk2 is intended to use an indigenous or co-developed engine — potentially an evolved Kaveri-derived core or a jointly developed engine with a foreign partner such as Safran — optimised for low-observable characteristics.[2]
The AMCA programme timeline has undergone several revisions; as of 2026, first flight is targeted for 2027–28, with a flying prototype expected by 2028–29 and induction into the IAF targeted around 2034–35, according to DRDO Chairman Samir V. Kamat. The government has reaffirmed its commitment to the indigenous AMCA programme even amid separate discussions around potential foreign fighter offers.[1][3]
| Type | Fifth-generation, twin-engine stealth multirole fighter |
| Developer | Aeronautical Development Agency (ADA), DRDO |
| Configuration | Single-seat, twin-engine, diamond planform, internal weapons bays |
| Mk1 engine | 2× GE F414 (imported) |
| Mk2 engine (planned) | Indigenous/co-developed engine, low-observable optimised |
| First flight target | 2027–28 |
| Induction target | ~2034–35 |