India moved to fast-track the development of an advanced new stealth jet on Tuesday after suffering embarrassing losses in air combat with Pakistan during the recent flare-up in tensions.
While both sides claimed victory in the brief conflict earlier this month, a massive air battle ended with Pakistan as the clear victor, downing at least three Indian jets at the cost of none of its own. This included at least one French-made Rafale jet, a plane considered one of the best in the world with a previous reputation for invulnerability. Unsatisfied with these results, New Delhi is now seeking to develop its own fifth-generation stealth fighter.
India’s state-run Aeronautical Development Agency announced it will shortly invite defense firms to develop prototypes for the new twin-engine stealth fighter.
So far, only the world’s three major powers have developed and possess fifth-generation fighters — the United States, which operates the F-22 and F-35; China, which operates the J-20; and Russia, which operates the Su-57. All have banned the export of these aircraft to safeguard their technologies.
Other countries, including Turkey, South Korea, Japan, and Sweden, have their own fifth-generation programs, but they are still in the development stage.
If India were to succeed in developing its own fifth-generation fighter, motivated by its recent combat losses, it would serve as a major boost for Indian military prestige. The majority of Indian Air Force aircraft are still aging Russian and ex-Soviet fighters, with its most advanced fighters being Western imports such as the Rafale.
India is hoping to harness the full capabilities of the public and private sectors to develop its new fighter, the Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft.
“The execution model approach provides equal opportunities to both private and public sectors on a competitive basis,” reads a statement issued by the Ministry of Defense, obtained by the Tribune. “They can bid either independently or as joint venture or as consortia. The bidder should be an Indian company compliant with the laws and regulations of the country.”
Even with the added urgency due to the recent conflict, it will take a great deal of effort to boost the program. The first prototype was originally scheduled to fly in 2017 — it’s now expected to fly by 2028. Experts speaking with the outlet estimated it will be 10 years before the AMCA enters service, and even longer before the planned 125 aircraft are fully integrated into the Indian Air Force.
The aircraft arms race is paired with a drone arms race. Reuters‘s interviews with 15 security officials, industry executives, and analysts suggested the effectiveness of drones during the recent conflict has triggered heavy local investment as Islamabad and New Delhi seek to gain the upper hand in the next generation of warfare.
Scant confirmed details remain regarding the air battle earlier this month, but one senior Pakistani security source told CNN that the dogfight was the “largest and longest in recent aviation history,” involving roughly 125 aircraft over an hour. Opposing aircraft fired missiles at targets sometimes over 100 miles away.
U.S. officials told Reuters that Chinese-made Pakistani J-10 aircraft shot down French-made Indian Rafale jets with Chinese PL-15 air-to-air missiles. The incident is the first time a Rafale has been shot down and the first time a J-10 has downed another aircraft.
The J-10 and Rafale are considered Generation 4.5 fighters, equivalent to the U.S. F-16 and F/A-18.
As New Delhi looks to make up for its technological deficiencies, it is also cracking down on security breaches. Indian police arrested Moti Ram Jat of the Central Reserve Police Force for “espionage activities” and allegedly “sharing classified information relating to national security” with Pakistani intelligence officers, according to the Telegraph.
India’s National Investigation Agency claimed Jat was approached by a Pakistani official posing as a woman over social media. He began receiving funds from Pakistan beginning in 2023 and had worked in Pahalgam in Kashmir, the site of last month’s deadly terrorist attack that sparked the latest round of hostilities.
At least 13 people have been arrested on espionage charges since the attack, including popular video blogger Jyoti Malhotra.
