SOURCE: AFI
The Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft (AMCA), India’s next-generation fighter jet, is taking a significant step forward. According to HAL’s chairman and managing director (CMD), CB Ananthakrishnan, the AMCA’s stealth shaping is now finalized, its design has reached maturity, and the internal systems layout is complete.
In stealth mode, the AMCA carries its weapons and fuel internally within a dedicated weapons bay. This eliminates external protrusions like under-wing pylons that would otherwise reflect radar waves and compromise stealth.
While stealth offers significant tactical advantages, it comes with a trade-off. In stealth mode, the AMCA’s “all-up-weight” (AUP) of 20 tonnes limits its internal weapon payload to roughly 1.5 tonnes.
However, the AMCA is not solely limited to stealth operations. For missions where stealth is not a priority, the aircraft can carry an additional five tonnes of weapons and fuel on external hardpoints located under the wings. This flexibility provides pilots with the capability to adapt their loadout based on mission requirements.
The completion of AMCA’s stealth shaping and internal systems layout signifies a major breakthrough for the program. This achievement paves the way for further development stages, bringing India closer to deploying a state-of-the-art, domestically produced stealth fighter jet.
The completion of AMCA’s stealth shaping and design signifies a major step forward for the program. With the internal systems layout finalized, HAL can now focus on further development and testing phases, bringing this next-generation fighter jet closer to operational reality.