Even as Russia and the US have been trying to sell their fifth-generation fighter jets—Sukhoi Su-57 and F-35 respectively—to India, the defence ministry recently formed a panel to look into increasing the role of private sector players in the development of India's own fifth-gen Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft (AMCA).
According to a recent report by news agency ANI, the committee has been formed under Defence Secretary Rajesh Kumar Singh and will have members from the Indian Air Force (IAF) and Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL), which is developing the twin-engine fighter for India.
The government is reportedly looking at different models of increasing private sector participation in the development of AMCA, including a possible joint venture between HAL and a private firm, defence officials said.
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There is also the possibility of considering the private sector merely as a partner for design and development. Besides the state-run HAL, Tata Group has some experience in aircraft integration.
HAL is already outsourcing a major amount of work to the private sector in the development of jets.
The fifth-generation AMCA, which is expected to have a Mach 2 plus at top speed and a combat range of more than 1,600 km with a 6,500 kg fuel capacity, is likely to be inducted into service in the next 10 years.
The fighter jet, according to Director General of the Aeronautical Development Agency (ADA) Jitendra Jadhav, will have sixth-generation technology embedded into it.
