India approves development of prototype advanced fighter jet

NEW DELHI: India´s defence minister approved on Tuesday a programme to develop an advanced fighter jet prototype, the latest push to boost local arms production, nearly three weeks after a conflict with Pakistan.

India, one of the world´s largest arms importers, has made the modernisation of its forces a top priority in the face of tensions with Pakistan and China.Defence Minister Rajnath Singh approved the prototype of a 5th generation Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft (AMCA), the ministry said in a statement, calling it a “significant push towards enhancing India´s indigenous defence capabilities”.

India´s Aeronautical Development Agency (ADA) -- a government agency under the Ministry of Defence responsible for aircraft design -- is “set to execute the programme through industry partnership”, it added.

“This is an important step...which will be a major milestone towards aatmanirbharta (“self-reliance”) in the aerospace sector”.India´s arms purchases have steadily risen to account for nearly 10 percent of all imports globally in 2019-23, the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) said last year.

The world´s most populous nation has deepened defence cooperation with Western countries in recent years, including the Quad alliance with the United States, Japan and Australia, as it slowly shifts away from its longstanding reliance on Russian military hardware.

India signed in April a multi-billion-dollar deal to purchase 26 Rafale fighter jets from France´s Dassault Aviation, adding to 36 already acquired, and replacing Russian MiG-29K jets.But Singh has also promised at least $100 billion in fresh domestic military hardware contracts by 2033 to spur local arms production.

This decade India has opened an expansive new helicopter factory, launched its first homemade aircraft carrier, warships and submarines, and conducted a successful long-range hypersonic missile test.