As the IAF chief, Amar Preet Singh recently lamented the sluggish pace of fighter jet production by Indian public-sector undertakings, former IAF veterans suggest bringing a “risk-sharing” partner onboard to develop the fifth-generation fighter jet.
Air Marshal M. Matheswaran (retired), who has worked on Medium Multi Role Combat Aircraft (MMRCA) and negotiated the Fifth Generation Fighter Aircraft (FGFA) with the Russians, suggests India gets a “risk sharing” partner onboard. Before that, India should bargain with two or three countries simultaneously for maximum leverage.
“We must choose a partner. We need a risk-sharing partner for AMCA and someone who can fill gaps in the development of LCA Mk2. Companies like Saab might be ready to take the mantle,” Matheswaran told the EurAsian Times.
Saab has been aggressively pitching the aircraft to India under its Multi-Role Fighter Aircraft (MRFA) contest, promising delivery in record time. Saab said it would deliver the first Gripen-E/F aircraft to the IAF within three years of awarding the contract.
The company was already looking into manufacturing prospects in India to fully transfer technology to the country, thus appealing to IAF’s aspirations for indigenous fighter production.
The IAF has expressed the desire to acquire the MRFA under the ‘Make in India’ policy, where the aircraft will be licensed-produced in India, bolstering the country’s local industries and allowing the IAF to upgrade and modify the aircraft locally without any impediments.
Saab, in turn, has offered to set up full-scale production in India, including everything from airframes to systems and software. Plans are afoot to indigenise the platform rapidly. What helps its case is that the single-engine Gripen E is one of the most modern fighter jets in the contest.
Air Marshal Matheswaran is looking at not only the MRFA contract but also to collaborate on AMCA.
So far, only three countries in the world have fifth-generation stealth fighters—China, the United States, and Russia. Turkey is also collaborating with Azerbaijan, and there have been reports of bringing Pakistan on board for the development of the KAAN, 5th generation fighter jet.
The KAI KF-21 Baromae is a South Korean and Indonesian advanced multirole aircraft aimed to enter service in 2026.
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Instead of struggling alone, Air Marshal Matheswaran suggests collaborating with new partners to speed up the technology development and also improve the economy of scale.
Matheswaran suggests India should avoid the American offering – F-21, which is nothing but re-packaged F-16.
“I would suggest don’t look at the F-21. It is an F-16, a 50-year-old design, and you can’t just sell us by putting in new avionics. It won’t serve either strategic or industry purposes. India must look at the future,” Matheswaran adds.
Still, Matheswaran opines that India should keep its options open and negotiate with 2-3 countries simultaneously. “Those who meet our requirements and are ready for ToT should be asked to come and manufacture in India. There is no other way to give a boost to our industry and get a highly skilled workforce,” he adds.
Delayed acquisition and slow development of indigenous fighter jets have resulted in the IAF with dwindling units of aging fighter jets to defend the Indian airspace. As reported by the EurAsian Times, the IAF now has more surface-to-air missile units than fighter jets.
He contends that first, we need to accept that the capability gap between India and China is enormous, and it can be bridged through “long-term strategic focus.”
“First, we have to accept that and invest in research. There has been a clamor in social media after news of China’s 6th Gen fighter prototype to scrap LCA Mk2. But if you scrap LCA MK2, it will be a repeat of the HF-24 Marut story. It should continue. LCA Mk2 must materialize. The engine work should continue,” Matheswaran adds.
The former IAF Vice Chief Air Marshal Anil Khosla also concurred with the need for LCA MK2 to materialize. When asked whether the IAF should abandon plans to acquire a 4+ generation aircraft and opt for a fifth-generation fighter instead, Air Marshal Anil Khosla (retd) told EurAsian Times, “No, we should not abandon it. The urgent need of the hour is to increase our capacity to fight and increase our fighter strength. We need to procure aircraft under the MRFA deal process to fill the gap, accelerate the project, increase the production rate of Tejas Mk-1A and Mk-2, and accelerate the AMCA project.”
When asked whether the Gripen would be the best fit, Air Marshal Khosla said: “I recommend going for the already tested and inducted Rafale aircraft (in phases). Adding another type of aircraft will add to the already diverse inventory. Most contenders offer the listed benefits (ToT, Make in India, etc.). The extent of these offers needs to be assessed. However, go in for the Gripen if the deal is lucrative and provides maximum bang for the buck.”
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India has an ambitious lineup to achieve self-reliance in building indigenous fighter jets. Apart from the variants of Light Combat Aircraft, the Indian defense industry has been given the government’s nod to develop the fifth-generation Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft (AMCA) in 2024. However, the fact remains that by the time the AMCA starts flying, China will have fielded 1000 J-20 ‘Mighty Dragon’ 5th-generation jets.
China is still struggling with the engines of its fighter jets. However, as the first country in Asia to field an operational stealth aircraft, it will have a lead of nearly one and a half decades to mature its 5th-generation fighter jet capabilities when the Indian AMCA is planned to enter service.
The HAL is already working on augmenting its capability to manufacture more LCA Mk1A to meet the IAF order. After that, the work will be done on LCA MK 2. Then, it will be the turn of AMCA.
Undoubtedly, there has been a clamor in the military experts in India for India to expedite its timeline. Hence, collaboration with the risk-sharing partner seems to be the way out.
“At current technology levels, going alone will not be a practical option for India. India must hasten the LCA Mk2 and AMCA and get its MUM-T “Loyal Wingman” technology right. Many countries have collaborative routes. Should India join the GCAP or the French-led FCAS program? These are hard calls to make. Collaboration means sharing costs and risks,” Air Marshal Anil Chopra (retired) ruminates.
According to the DRDO’s timeline, the first flight of the AMCA “may take seven years, and the induction can be done in ten years from now.” The timeline for the first flight has already been pushed back from 2027 to 2030, and the induction is slated for 2035.
