The Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft, the fifth-generation fighter jet of India, which is under development, is set to have the 'Beast Mode' feature. This essentially means the fighter jets will have vastly enhanced firepower and offensive capabilities.
Not an entirely new feature in fighter jets, 'Beast Mode' refers to the ability to carry maximum firepower—mostly at the expense of stealth feature—to be used during the deep-strike missions where the fighter jets need to penetrate into heavily defended enemy areas. This increased firepower, involving missiles and bombs, will be part of the external heads of the aircrafts.
This mode is specifically designed for the later phases of a conflict, when air superiority is already established and the air defences of the enemy are neutralised or significantly reduced, eliminating the need for stealth features in fighter jets.
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According to media reports, while the standard configuration of India's fifth-generation fighter jets will focus on stealth, with weapons carried internally, it would be able to transition into the 'Beast Mode', offering tactical advantage to the force.
This ability to switch between stealth and 'Beast Mode' will make the AMCA highly versatile, and is expected to be a game-changer in the country's areal combat abilities.
A report in Defence.in claimed that while the feature takes inspiration from fifth-generation fighters like the F-35 of the US, India's fight-generation fighters are expected to have various indigenous technologies.
In the case of f-35, in stealth mode, it can carry about 5,700 pounds of internal weapons, but when converted into 'Beast Mode' it can carry up to 22,000 pounds of internal and external weapons.
