New Delhi: In a significant boost to India’s defence self-reliance, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh has announced that the country will not only build its own fifth-generation stealth fighter jets but also manufacture their engines indigenously. The engines will be developed in collaboration with French aerospace major Safran, marking a milestone in India’s journey towards cutting-edge defence technology.
“Today, we have taken decisive steps in the direction of building fifth-generation fighter aircraft. Work on manufacturing the aircraft’s engines in India with Safran is about to begin,” Singh said while addressing the ET World Leaders’ Summit.
India’s ambitious Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft (AMCA) programme is at the centre of this effort. The Aeronautical Development Agency (ADA) has already floated an Expression of Interest for building five prototypes of the AMCA, which is set to become India’s first fifth-generation fighter jet.
The Defence Minister also highlighted the success of the Tejas Light Combat Aircraft (LCA), calling it a “splendid example” of India’s growing indigenous capabilities. “Challenges remain, but we are determined to overcome them and establish full capability to build advanced fighter aircraft within the country,” he asserted.
Alongside AMCA, the Tejas fleet is expected to form the backbone of the Indian Air Force in the coming decades. Singh revealed that Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) has already secured fresh orders worth ₹66,000 crore for 97 Tejas aircraft, in addition to the earlier ₹48,000 crore contract for 83 jets.
The move to develop engines domestically is being seen as a “big leap” for India’s defence sector, which has long relied on foreign technology for propulsion systems. Once operational, the initiative will place India among a select group of nations capable of producing fifth-generation stealth fighters and their engines.
