AMCA fighter moves off India’s drawing board
This scale model of the AMCA fighter was shown by the DRDO at DefExpo 2020. (Gordon Arthur)
India hopes to have the AMCA fighter in the hands of the air force by around 2035.
India’s Aeronautical Design Agency (ADA) has started manufacturing activities for the country’s twin-engine $5 billion Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft (AMCA) project.
On 9 March, the Defense Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) and Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) cut the first sheet metal, a tradition starting the aircraft building process.
Additionally, flight trials are to start soon to test the performance of the EO targeting system on a modified DRDO testbed.
R Madhavan, HAL’s Chairman, said the AMCA project would be implemented under a special-purpose vehicle model involving private companies.
‘The advantage [of industry involvement] is that it will cut procedural
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