India’s indigenous LCA Tejas fighter jet program might be struggling with cost-overruns and repeated timeline delays, but New Delhi may have already set its sights on not just a fifth-generation but also a sixth-generation combat aircraft.
After setting aside Rs 15,000 crore (US$ 1.7B) for developing prototypes of AMCA, India’s indigenous fifth-generation fighter jet program, New Delhi is now reportedly exploring teaming up with France for co-development and co-manufacture of a sixth-generation fighter under the Future Combat Air System (FCAS) program.
According to media reports, initial talks have been held on India’s possible entry into the program launched in 2017 by France, Germany, and Spain.
Notably, over the last eight years, little progress has been made on FCAS, owing to fundamental differences among partner nations on leadership, workshare, and the aircraft’s basic design parameters, to the point that there is a high likelihood that France and Germany will break the alliance and go their separate ways.
This is where India fits in, as designing and developing a sixth-generation fighter jet alone would be a costly and high-risk proposition for France.
Partnering with India will not only generate additional funds for the FCAS program but, given the Indian Air Force’s large size and need for hundreds of aircraft in the coming years, it will also secure a large fleet order for the under-development fighter, bringing down its production costs substantially.
At the same time, collaboration on FCAS could potentially accelerate India’s exposure to sixth-generation technologies such as manned-unmanned teaming, combat cloud networking, and advanced propulsion and stealth, which will also help accelerate India’s own fifth-generation Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft (AMCA).
The Germany-France Bickering Over FCAS
France and Germany are currently at odds over the Sixth-Generation Fighter Jet project, reportedly struggling to agree on workshare.
FCAS is Europe’s €100 billion project to develop next-generation air power by 2040, incorporating stealth technology, drone swarms, AI control, and a hyper-connected cloud combat system.
The project was to be a joint-development project between France’s Dassault Aviation, Germany/Spain’s Airbus, and Spain’s Indra.
According to the initial agreement, Dassault will work on the Next-Generation Fighter (NGF) design, Airbus will work on drone and cloud technologies, and Indra will work on sensors.
However, the project got stalled as France’s Dassault sought an 80% stake in the NGF (New Generation Fighter), while Germany wanted an equal split. There are also fundamental differences in the aircraft’s design profile and role.
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said last week that the project no longer worked for his country, as France wanted a carrier-capable and nuclear-capable aircraft, both of which Berlin has no requirement for.
Notably, nearly four decades ago, France had left the Eurofighter Typhoon project, a joint project between the UK, France, Germany, Italy, and Spain, due to the same demands.
France participated in the early stages of the Eurofighter Typhoon program. From 1983 to 1985, France contributed to feasibility studies, requirements discussions, and early planning.
However, France withdrew from the Eurofighter project because Paris wanted a carrier-capable and nuclear-capable fighter jet, whereas the European partners were not keen on these aspects.
France went solo and developed Rafale. Incidentally, both these aspects proved crucial in swaying New Delhi’s decision in favor of Rafale over the Eurofighter Typhoon.
India is also set to sign the largest Rafale deal ever. India currently has 36 Rafales and has ordered 26 Rafale M fighters. However, New Delhi is also set to sign a deal for the co-production of 114 additional Rafale fighters.
This will take the Indian Rafale fleet size to 176 aircraft, making it the second-largest operator of the aircraft behind France. .
The differences in FCAS’s design profile are so huge that Airbus has now publicly suggested that France and Germany could pursue separate fighter designs under a shared FCAS architecture to avoid the entire program collapsing.
“If mandated by our customers, we would support a two-fighter solution and are committed to playing a leading role in such a reorganized FCAS delivered through European cooperation,” Airbus’ chief executive, Guillaume Faury, said at the company’s annual results announcement last week.
Why India Fits Where Germany Does Not
Firstly, just like France, New Delhi needs any future aircraft in its arsenal to be carrier-capable and nuclear-capable.
India currently has two aircraft carriers and plans a third. India also wants to maintain and strengthen its nuclear triad.
So, India and France will have no differences in the FCAS design profile.
Furthermore, under the soon-to-be-signed deal for 114 additional Rafale fighters, reportedly nearly 90 will be produced in India, with 50-60% indigenization.
Separately, France’s Safran has set up an engine maintenance, repair, and overhaul (MRO) center in Hyderabad for the M88 engine powering the Rafale. Safran has also signed a JV with India’s BEL (Bharat Electronics Limited) to manufacture the “Hammer” air-to-surface weapon locally.
India is also exploring partnering with Safran to co-develop the power plant for powering the AMCA fighter jet.
This means that in the coming years, India will have a large and healthy ecosystem for producing and maintaining Rafale fighters, MRO facilities for Safran engines, and local manufacturing of its weapons, such as Hammer missiles.
This entire ecosystem will be useful for FCAS as well.
India also has to consider that by the time it indicts its own fifth-generation stealth fighter, China would be flying two sixth-generation combat aircraft. Therefore, participating in the sixth-generation FCAS could help India bridge the gap.
Additionally, it could help integrate some evolving sixth-generation technologies into the AMCA over time.
“China already has over 300 J-20 fifth-generation fighters. They are working on 400 by 2027 and 1,000 by 2035. India’s AMCA may join service only around 2035. Pakistan is seeking the J-31 from China by 2029. India cannot be left behind. While India takes its call on the fifth-generation aircraft, it also has to start work on sixth-generation technologies,” said Air Marshal Anil Chopra, veteran fighter test pilot and former Director-General of the Center for Air Power Studies (CAPS).
“Many countries have collaborative routes. Should India join the French-led FCAS program? These are hard calls to make. Collaboration means sharing costs and risks,” he added.
When asked if the FCAS route would be feasible for India, Air Marshal Chopra said, “Yes, India should consider joining the FCAS, but it will all depend on the work share. The FCAS partners have already had work share issues with France, which has been trying to dominate.”
Air Marshal Chopra also struck a note of caution, reminding that India walked out of the Fifth-Generation Fighter Aircraft (FGFA) program with Russia “due to work share-related issues.”
India was part of the FGFA program, which eventually developed into the Su-57; however, India left the project in 2018 because Moscow was unwilling to share core technologies, and New Delhi was unhappy with certain design parameters.
Partnering with France on the FCAS project is certainly a promising proposition; however, the devil, as they say, often lies in the details.
India has to assess the project’s cost, which technologies Dassault is willing to share, and whether New Delhi’s design requirements will be taken on board.
India has to make sure that Dassault is not partnering with India only to bankroll its own fighter jet development, without offering New Delhi anything substantial in return.
Notably, Dassault and France have a reputation for being unreliable partners in multilateral fighter jet development programs.
Paris has a history of entering collaborative fighter jet development programs, then quitting after demanding a majority work share in those projects.
France left the Eurofighter Typhoon and, before that, the Panavia Tornado midway.
Furthermore, New Delhi shall play its cards carefully, as France is not its only option.
Japan and the UK have also invited India to join the next-generation Global Combat Air Program (GCAP), a collaborative effort led by Japan, the United Kingdom, and Italy.
Domestic production of Su-57 fighters is still an option. India has a lot on the platter, but the biggest question is who offers the best bang for the buck.
- Sumit Ahlawat has over a decade of experience in news media. He has worked with Press Trust of India, Times Now, Zee News, Economic Times, and Microsoft News. He holds a Master’s Degree in International Media and Modern History from the University of Sheffield, UK.
- THIS IS AN OPINION ARTICLE. VIEWS PERSONAL OF THE AUTHOR
- He can be reached at ahlawat.sumit85 (at) gmail.com
