Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft (Syllabus: GS Paper 3 – Sci and Tech)
Context: The Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) recently cleared a Rs 15,000 crore project aimed at designing and developing the Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft (AMCA), India’s fifth-generation multirole fighter jet.
Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft (AMCA)
- About: The AMCA is designed to be a fifth-generation, medium-weight, multi-role, and twin-engine aircraft.
- Stealth and Configuration: Envisaged as a 25-tonne twin-engine stealth aircraft, it features an internal weapons bay and diverterless supersonic intake, a first-time achievement in India.
- Payload and Fuel Capacity: Intended to carry 1,500 kg of internal payload, 5,500 kg of external payload, and boast a substantial 6,500 kg of internal fuel.
- Government Funding and Production: In 2009, the Central government allocated ₹90 crore for a feasibility study, with an additional ₹447 crore sanctioned later. Production is underway by Hindustan Aeronautics Limited.
- Features of AMCA
oStealth Capabilities: Equipped with advanced stealth features to evade enemy radar detection, surpassing the size of existing Indian Air Force fighters.
oFuel and Weapons Configuration: Equipped with a concealed 6.5-tonne internal fuel tank and an internal weapons bay for a variety of weapons, including indigenous ones.
oEngine Specifications: The AMCA Mk1 variant will use the US-built GE414 engine, while the more advanced Mk2 will feature a 110kN engine developed indigenously by DRDO’s Gas Turbine Research Establishment.
oAdvanced Airflow Control: Features like a diverterless supersonic inlet and a serpentine air intake duct contribute to controlling air flow into the engines and shielding them from radar emissions.
