India building new fighter jet

India building new fighter jet

News:

1. First flight of Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft (AMCA), India’s next indigenous fighter, isexpected in 2032.

Important facts:

1. Development work on the jet is under way.
2. The new fighter programme is important as technologies coming in through that will flow into the AMCA project.
3. The aircraft will be powered by the same GE-414 engine on the LCA Mk-2 variant which is in the design phase.
4. A GE-414 produces 98kN thrust compared to 84kN thrust of the GE-404 engine which is on the LCA Mk1.
5. This is India’s only fifth generation aircraft programme following the decision not to go ahead with the fifth generation project with Russia.
6. The AMCA will feature geometric stealth and will initially fly with two GE-414 engines.
7. Two major ways of making a military platform stealthier: – Geometric stealth and Material stealth.
8. In geometric stealth, the shape of the aircraft is designed at such angles so as to deflect away maximum radar waves thereby minimizing its radar cross section.
9. In material stealth, radar-absorbing materials are used in making the aircraft which will absorb the radio waves thus reducing the radar footprint.
10. The AMCA will initially be based on geometric stealth, while the material stealth can be used at a later stage.
11. The Indian Air Force has given land to the DRDO to set up facilities for the project.
12. The objective is to build on the capabilities and expertise developed during the   development of the light combat aircraft (LCA) and produce a medium fifth generation fighter aircraft.
13.  There are three critical technologies that need to be developed-stealth, thrust vectoring and super cruise.