OPED By Balpreet Singh
As India launched Operation Sindoor targeting Pakistan’s terrorist facilities, the IAF (Indian Air Force) must be well prepared for the future and a possible military clash with both Pakistan and China.
In a major counter-terrorism operation during the night of May 6–7, the Indian Armed Forces conducted large-scale air strikes targeting nine locations across Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK). The strikes focused on key infrastructure and hideouts linked to the terror outfits Jaish-e-Mohammed and Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT).
Visual evidence confirms the destruction of multiple buildings, with reports indicating significant casualties. The Pakistani government has acknowledged air strikes at six locations, marking a rare and substantial escalation in the region.
India needs to be ready for the future!
With every sortie, our fighter pilots remain steadfast, guarding the nation. Their resolve is unwavering, their training world-class. While our air warriors train as they fight, we as a nation must ensure they don’t outfly the future in legacy platforms. That should remain a last resort, if at all.
As the world accelerates into an era defined by stealth, sensor fusion, and artificial intelligence, India must make a decisive leap. The acquisition and development of fifth-generation fighter aircraft is no longer aspirational—they are imperative.
While Skill Soars, Platforms Must Follow
Indian fighter pilots have long been the backbone of regional air dominance. From Red Flag in Nevada to Garuda in France to numerous multi-nation exercises hosted, they’ve outperformed global peers time and again. “The man behind the machine” has always been India’s edge.
But warfare has changed. Stealth, first-look advantage, electronic warfare, and data fusion define air superiority. No matter how skilled, a pilot in a non-stealth fourth-generation jet is at a disadvantage when facing an adversary with stealth technology and superior situational awareness.
Geopolitics In Afterburner: The China Challenge
India’s evolving threat matrix is no longer hypothetical. The 2020 Ladakh standoff, followed by PLAAF’s rapid deployments, defines the urgency.
China’s high-altitude airbases in Tibet may face performance limitations, but they’re rapidly being populated with J-20 Mighty Dragons—a fifth-generation stealth fighter. With more than 150 in service, the PLA is consolidating air dominance on India’s northern front.
Add to this a strategic entente between China and Pakistan. Beijing’s assistance in developing the JF-17 and potentially transferring fifth-gen training packages to Islamabad poses a two-front challenge India can no longer ignore.
AMCA: India’s Dream With A 5.5-Gen Vision
India’s strategic project, the Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft (AMCA), is advancing rapidly. Being developed as a 5.5-generation fighter, AMCA blends fifth-generation stealth with sixth-generation technologies like:
- AI-enabled electronic co-pilot
- Modular open architecture avionics
- Internal weapons bays
- Diverter less Supersonic Intakes for low RCS
Why AMCA Is More Than a Fighter
The AMCA is not just a machine—it’s a symbol of sovereign aerospace capability gained by the development of the in-service LCA and numerous past projects (India’s fighter aircraft ecosystem has been growing over the years, initiated in the 1950s). With 75% Indigenous content planned, including radar, flight control, stealth materials, and avionics, AMCA marks a generational leap for Indian fighter aircraft development.
The transformation due to AMCA’s development lies in the aerospace ecosystem it is nurturing across India. It’s about creating an industrial and technological base to support future combat air programs, exports, and Indigenous sustainment.
Foundation Laid By The LCA Tejas
The Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) Tejas program, further built:
- Design and engineering expertise within ADA (Aeronautical Development Agency) and HAL.
- Flight control and fly-by-wire systems were developed in collaboration with Indian institutions.
- An ecosystem of over 200 suppliers, many in the private sector, delivering avionics, structures, and subsystems.
- A culture of iterative testing and validation is crucial for advanced fighter programs.
The lessons from the LCA—in modular avionics, composite airframes, digital design, and Indigenous radar—directly feed into AMCA. For example, the Uttam AESA radar, developed for Tejas Mk1A and Mk2, will evolve further for AMCA integration.
AMCA: The Next-Gen Leap
The AMCA demands even more complex capabilities:
- Stealth shaping and low-observable materials
- Internal weapons bays and advanced aerodynamics
- AI-based sensor fusion and electronic warfare suites
This requires a supply chain shift from parts to modules. ADA plans to assign entire segments (e.g., wings, fuselage) to private sector firms. This modularity builds:
- High-end precision manufacturing capacity
- Digital engineering platforms using CAD/CAM/PLM
- Certification and QA frameworks aligned with military aviation standards
Private Sector Integration and Capability Building
AMCA is pushing traditional boundaries by integrating:
- MSMEs with tier-2 and tier-3 capabilities into a tiered aerospace supply chain
- Firms like L&T, Tata Advanced Systems, Godrej Aerospace, and VEM are entering co-development roles
- Academic institutions and research labs, including IITs and DRDO labs, for materials, AI, propulsion systems, and flight software
Importantly, AMCA is being designed to evolve. Its open systems architecture will allow plug-and-play upgrades, ensuring relevance beyond 2050.
Plugging The Capability Gap: Interim Fifth-Gen Fighters Needed
While AMCA progresses, India must urgently address the current capability gap. With only 31 active squadrons (against the sanctioned strength of 42) and an ageing fleet of MiG-29s, Jaguars, and Mirage-2000s, India cannot afford to wait until 2035.
What’s needed is a stop-gap solution: acquiring a few squadrons (36–40 aircraft) of fifth-gen stealth fighters by 2028 (maybe on lease or other forms of procurement).
These aircraft will offer:
- Stealth: Radar-evading entry into contested airspace
- Supercruise: Supersonic flight without afterburners
- Sensor Fusion: 360° situational awareness
- Electronic Warfare: Ability to jam, spoof, and deceive
- Multi-role Flexibility: Strike and air superiority in one platform
Comparing The World’s Fifth-Generation Fighters
Obviously, most 5th-generation aircraft can also carry external weapons, but that depends on the mission requirements and impacts the aircraft’s stealth capabilities.
Can A 4.5-Generation Take On A 5th-Generation Aircraft?
Yes, it’s possible in some scenarios, but not consistently or across the full battlespace.
Pilot Skill: The “Man Behind the Machine”
- In visual range (dogfight) scenarios, pilot training and situational awareness are crucial.
- A highly trained pilot in a 4.5-gen aircraft like the Rafale or upgraded Su-30MKI may outmanoeuvre a 5th-gen pilot with less experience.
- This has happened in exercises: e.g., IAF Su-30MKIs gave a tough time to F-22 Raptors in Red Flag 2008, though those were heavily scripted exercises.
Stealth & Sensor Fusion Tilt the Battlefield
- 5th gen jets (like Su-57, F-22, F-35, J-20) are designed to kill before being seen, not to engage in traditional dogfights.
- Their advantages include Stealth (Low RCS), Sensor fusion, Long-range engagement, and Electronic warfare dominance.
Upgrades Help, But Can’t Eliminate Limitations
- Adding AESA radar, IRST, electronic warfare systems, and long-range missiles helps close the gap.
- Example: Rafale F4, Su-30 Super Sukhoi, and Tejas Mk2 will have highly upgraded capabilities.
- However, 4.5-gen platforms still have higher radar signatures, may lack supercruise or internal weapons bays, and are more vulnerable to networked data warfare.
The Human + Machine Combine
- In BVR (Beyond Visual Range) combat, 5th-generation aircraft usually dominate due to stealth and data fusion.
- In WVR (Within Visual Range), with HMS (Helmet Mounted Sights), off-boresight missiles like ASRAAM or R-73, and thrust-vectoring, a 4.5 gen jet could win.
Indian pilots are globally respected for their adaptability and training. With AMCA still years away, India is heavily upgrading Su-30MKI (Super Sukhoi) and relying on Rafales. However, to maintain deterrence against stealth-equipped adversaries like the J-20, India must acquire or deploy 5th-generation fighters alongside these upgrades.
From Theory To Tarmac: The Road Ahead
To secure its skies and strategic autonomy, India must do the following:
- Short Term: Procure 36–40 fifth-generation fighters for immediate deployment by 2028.
- Medium Term: Accelerate AMCA development, testing, and production timelines.
- Long Term: Invest in 6th-gen technologies (swarm drones, AI wingmen, quantum radar). Some work is already underway; this would accelerate further.
- Support Infrastructure: Upgrade forward bases in Ladakh, increase AEW&C and tanker assets, and invest in resilient ISR networks. The IAF is doing some of this currently.
Conclusion: A Fighter Is More Than Its Frame
India’s pilots are world-class, and our manufacturers are rising to the occasion. The enemy is watching. In a world where dogfights happen through data and missiles find targets before radar sees them, India must match talent with technology.
A fighter jet is not just a weapon. It is a flying declaration of a nation’s strength, resolve, and readiness. AMCA is India’s long stride into the future. But bridging the present with a few squadrons of fifth-generation fighters will be the runway to strategic deterrence.
Let India not break a sweat—let’s break the jet lag.
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Balpreet Singh works in the aerospace and defence sector with a focus on strategy and advisory.
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He can be reached at balpreetsingh07@gmail.com.
