LCA Mk2, AMCA first flight dates confirmed: Defence Secretary reveals timeline for India’s next-gen fighter jets

India’s LCA Mk2 medium weight fighter, is set to make its first prototype flight no later than September 2027, while the country’s stealthy fifth generation Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft (AMCA) will make its first prototype flight in September 2028, Defence Secretary told NDTV.

According to the media report, the LCA Mark 2 prototype test flights are slated to take place between June and September next year. Test flights are due next year, with slippage by a few months probably around June or September next year, he said at a session hosted by NDTV Managing Editor Livefist founder Shiv Aroor & NDTV Senior Managing Editor Vishnu Som at the NDTV Defence Summit in Delhi on September 27.

Tejas Mk2 (Medium Weight Fighter)

• Tejas Mk2 is being developed by ADA (Aeronautical Development Agency) and HAL (Hindustan Aeronautics Limited).
• Mk2 is a further upgrade of the current Mk1A version of Tejas. The aircraft is designed to replace the Jaguar, Mirage 2000 and MiG-29 fleets.
• The aircraft will use the GE F414-INS6 engine for propulsion, producing 98 kN (kilonewtons) of thrust.
• It will weigh around 17.5 tonnes with a payload capacity of 6.5 tonnes.
• The aircraft will feature canards, an indigenous Uttam AESA radar, and an infrared search and track (IRST) system.
• It will carry a wide range of indigenous weapon systems, including Astra air-to-air missiles, the Rudram anti-radiation missile, guided bombs and future missiles such as BrahMos-NG.
• The aircraft will be used in air superiority, deep strike and SEAD (Suppression of Enemy Air Defences) missions.

Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft (AMCA

• AMCA is India's flagship stealth fighter programme to build a fifth-generation combat aircraft.
• The twin-engine aircraft will feature an internal weapons bay, radar-absorbing materials, sensor fusion and electronic warfare systems.
• In its Mk1 variant, it will use GE F414 engines, while a more powerful indigenous engine is planned for the Mk2 version.
• The aircraft is expected to carry 1,500 kg of payload in its weapons bay while retaining low observability. External hardpoints can be used where maintaining stealth is less important.
• AMCA will be used in air dominance missions, long-range precision strikes and network-centric warfare.

India working on next-gen jets

India is working towards developing sixth-generation fighter jets, and while there will be challenges along this path, the resolve remains unwavering, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said on Sunday, asserting that the country is building capabilities with the warfare of the next two decades in mind. In a veiled message to Pakistan, Singh also said that as long as “our neighbouring country persists with a state policy of terrorism, India remains fully free to carry out all forms of strikes against it”. Singh was addressing a session at the NDTV Defence Summit, which was also attended by Army Chief General Dhiraj Seth and other senior officers of the armed forces.