In February 2025, Director General of the Aeronautical Development Agency (ADA) Jitendra Jadhav had said that India’s homegrown fifth-generation fighter, the Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft (AMCA), will be embedded with sixth-generation technology, making it a “5.5-generation” fighter, more advanced than the current fifth-gen fighters.
"A lot of algorithms have been put into the artificial intelligence, and this makes AMCA one of the contemporary aircraft among all the fifth-generation aircraft, with the sixth-generation technology embedded in it,” Jadhav was quoted as saying.
While this does sound promising, as retirements are outpacing inductions in the IAF—AMCA is expected to be ready for induction only by 2035—India is reportedly planning to make a big sixth-generation leap, exploring the possibility of co-developing and co-manufacturing the Future Combat Air System (FCAS) programme by teaming up with France.
A collaborative effort between France, Germany, and Spain, FCAS is more than just a fighter jet; it is a system of systems built around a core Next Generation Weapon System (NGWS), with new-generation fighters working together with uncrewed remote carriers, all connected to other systems in space, in the air, on the ground, at sea, and in cyberspace via a data cloud known as the ‘Combat Cloud’.
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Earlier, there were reports that Germany and Spain had extended an offer to India to join the FCAS programme. Reports had also claimed that there was another offer from the UK, Japan, and Italy to India to be part of the Global Combat Air Programme (GCAP), which is an international partnership to design, manufacture, and deliver a next-generation crewed combat aircraft.
Now, according to a report by The Print, India has intimated to France that it is willing to consider the option of joining the FCAS programme if it does not work out with Germany.
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Germany and France have a technical dispute over FCAS. While France requires a fighter aircraft that is nuclear-capable and can be launched from aircraft carriers, Germany does not need this. Besides, France’s Dassault Aviation wants the lead on making the fighter jet, but Germany-based Airbus, representing Germany and Spain, is opposed to the idea. A few days ago, Airbus said it is willing to support a two-fighter solution to save the FCAS programme.
There are also disputes over workshare and technology rights.
In the wake of the ongoing dispute, a The Print report said that India told France “loud and clear” that it is willing to be part of the futuristic programme if France's plans fall through with Germany.
France one of India's trusted defence partners. According to the Defence Ministry, India and France have a long history of collaboration in defence and security, which has only deepened with a focus on co-design, co-development, and co-production of defence platforms.
A potential involvement of India in the programme offers the country an opportunity to significantly enhance its defence capabilities, as it will have access to cutting-edge sixth-generation technologies, including AI-driven combat clouds, manned-unmanned teaming, drone swarms, and adaptive stealth, that complement its indigenous AMCA project.