ROBIN ROY
In a recent development, New Delhi’s formal Letter of Request to France for the procurement of 114 Rafale jets in a mega Rs 3.25 lakh crore deal, with the majority slat ed to be manufactured locally and concurrently, the IAF and DRDO successfully flight-test ing the indigenous Rudram-2 air-to-surface missile and the TARA precision glide bomb have only added feathers of vi brant colours to the IAF’s caps. Moreover, The Ministry of Defence issued a Request for Proposal (RFP) to top domes tic firms (including L&T, Tata Advanced Systems, and Bharat Forge) for the development of India’s 5th-generation AMCA (Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft) confirms the fact that the IAF is all set to add more power to wings. New Delhi’s air power strat egy’s future focuses deeply on achieving a 42-squadron force by 2035 and developing indig enous fifth-generation stealth fighters. To achieve this milestone, key initiatives include opening advanced projects to private firms, phasing in AI upgrades for existing fleets, and riding the “Make in India” crest in manufacturing to secure sover eign capabilities.
If you enjoyed reading this article, you can help support our journalism by adding OHeraldo as a preferred source.
It must be noted that the country’s defence production has also grown at an remark able pace since the launch of the “Make in India” initiative, reaching a record Rs 1.27 lakh crore in FY 2023-24, with de fence exports rising to an all time high of Rs 23,622 crore in FY 2024-25. India’s position New Delhi holds the fourth position firmly in global air power, with a combat fleet transitioning toward 4.5-gen eration and indigenous stealth standards. Meanwhile, India is gearing up to give its aerospace ambi tions a mega push with a mas sive investment of about Rs 65,400 crore ($7.44 billion) to develop and produce fighter jet engines by 2035. The plan aims to make India self-reli ant in one of the most critical areas of defence — aircraft pro pulsion. The project marks a strong step towards reducing dependence on imports and building engines that can pow er the next generation of Indi an fighter jets. From the advanced Tejas Mk2 to the stealthy AMCA, and from upgraded fighters to un manned aircraft, India plans to build around 1,100 engines in the next decade. In this regard, in a landmark move for India’s defence indus try, the government recently issued the request for proposal (RFP) for the Advanced Medi um Combat Aircraft, or AMCA, the country’s first homegrown fifth-generation stealth fighter.
For the first time in a ma jor fighter jet programme, the Defence Ministry has kept out state-owned Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd (HAL) and invited three private players: Tata Advanced Systems, the L&T-BEL-Dynamatic consor tium, and the Bharat Forge BEML-Data Patterns consorti um. The government is fully funding the Rs 15,000 crore project to build the AMCA pro totype. The winning private partner will, however, have to work with the Aeronautical Development Agency (ADA) under the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) in building five flying prototypes and one structural test aircraft. This work will be done at the new 650-acre facil ity in Andhra Pradesh’s Putta parthi. The ADA and DRDO had is sued an expression of interest on the stealth fighter jet pro ject in mid 2025 and seven players had sent in bids.
After technical evaluation in February, the three private players were shortlisted. They have two-three months to submit detailed bids; the ‘L1’ selection and contract award are expected to be com pleted by January-March 2027, with the first prototype flight expected between 2028 and 2032. It may enter service after 2035 with series production at the new facility. Home count India operates fleets like the French-origin Dassault Rafale (equipped with Meteor and Scalp missiles) and domes tically upgraded Su-30MKI heavy fighters, delivering ad vanced Beyond-Visual-Range (BVR) and Electronic Warfare (EW) capabilities. Light Combat Aircraft (LCA): The indigenous HAL Tejas (Mk 1 and Mk-1A) acts as a highly agile, low-end multirole fighter. It is equipped with AESA radar and modern avionics, serving to replace older platforms. Next-Generation (5th Gen) Stealth: India is active ly progressing its indigenous Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft (AMCA) program. The Defence Ministry has ear marked funding for AMCA pro totypes, aiming to field stealth fighters featuring AI integra tion and internal weapons bays by the next decade.
Fleet expansion & procurement The IAF is actively address ing its immediate need to bolster its fighter squadron strength. Key procurement pipelines include: * Medium Role Fighter Aircraft (MRFA): The IAF has moved forward with a major proposal to acquire 114 Rafale fighter jets, with the majority slated for domestic co-pro duction through partnerships between foreign firms and In dian defence manufacturers to boost technology transfer. * Tejas Induction: The IAF has over 140 Tejas Mk-1A jets on order to progressive ly phase out legacy aircraft, representing a major leap in indigenous manufacturing ca pacity and self-reliance (Atma Nirbharta). * Joint Engine Develop ment: The IAF and DRDO are collaborating with firms such as Safran to manufacture ad vanced fighter jet engines in India with 100% technology transfer. 2026 and Beyond • Stealth & 5th-Gen Evo lution: The indigenous Ad vanced Medium Combat Air craft (AMCA) is advancing towards ushering the IAF into the stealth era. • Next-Gen Tech & UCAVs: Future developments include the DRDO Ghatak autonomous UCAVs, swarm drone technolo gies, and artificial intelligence for predictive maintenance and real-time operations. • Space Vision: The IAF is set on a path into an integrat ed Air and Space Force, col laborating with ISRO for near space and satellite operations. AIR ARSENAL India received its fourth S-400 air defense squadron from Russia, further solidify ing the nation’s multi-layered long-range defence shield. DRDO and the IAF successful ly test-fired the Rudram-2 air to-surface missile from a Sukhoi Su-30MKI fighter, validating its capability to destroy enemy ra dar and defence systems. The maiden trial of the Tac tical Advanced Range Augmen tation (TARA) modular glide weapon was completed, which allows standard unguided war heads to be converted into pre cision-guided systems. (Robin Roy is a Senior Journalist and former Senior Associate Editor, O Heraldo, Goa)
