Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft

The Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft (AMCA) is a planned Indian single-seat, twin-engine, all-weather fifth-generation stealth, multirole combat aircraft being developed for the Indian Air Force and the Indian Navy. The aircraft is being designed by the Aeronautical Development Agency, an autonomous aircraft design body under the Ministry of Defence. Serial production of the aircraft is planned to start by 2035.

The AMCA is intended to perform a multitude of missions including air supremacy, ground-strike, suppression of enemy air defenses, and electronic warfare missions. It is intended to supplant the Sukhoi Su-30MKI air superiority fighter, which forms the backbone of the IAF fighter fleet. The AMCA design is optimized for low radar cross section and supercruise capability.

As of February 2025,^[update] the prototype development phase is underway after the completion of feasibility study, preliminary design stage and detailed design phase. It is currently the only fifth generation fighter under development in India.

The AMCA programme, earlier known as the Medium Combat Aircraft (MCA) programme, is an Indian programme to develop a fifth-generation combat aircraft. It began as a parallel programme to the Indo-Russia Sukhoi/HAL FGFA. The AMCA programme was launched in 2010. Although envisioned as a 20-tonne class fighter earlier, now AMCA is 25-tonne class fighter.

In April 2010, the Indian Air Force issued an Air Staff Qualitative Requirement (ASQR) for the AMCA. A feasibility study was launched in October 2010 after a fund allocation of ₹90 crore (equivalent to ₹202 crore or US$24 million in 2023) by the Defence Ministry. In November, the Aeronautical Development Agency (ADA) sought an additional funding of ₹9,000 crore (equivalent to ₹200 billion or US$2.4 billion in 2023) for the development of two technology demonstrators and seven prototypes. By the time, the first flight was expected in 2017.

The first scaled demonstration of a 1:8 scale model was unveiled at the 2013 edition of Aero India. The Project Definition and Preliminary Design phase was completed by February 2014 while Engineering Technology & Manufacturing Development phase begun in January 2014. By the time the first flight schedule was pushed back to 2018.

From November 2013 to December 2014, 9 design configurations of AMCA, starting from 3B-01 to 3B-09, were studied using CAD, low-speed and high-speed wind tunnel testing, and radar cross section testing at the Calspan Wind Tunnel. By the end of 2014, configuration 3B-09 was chosen. Also, the initial funding for feasibility studies were utilised and a further ₹4,000 crore (equivalent to ₹64 billion or US$760 million in 2023) funding was expected for 3 to 4 prototypes with a first flight target of 2020-21.

Meanwhile, the Indian Navy sought details of the project for a naval variant in March 2013. The proposed variant is referred to as NAMCA or AMCA-N. The naval requirements were officially sent on 7 September 2015 and the aircraft would equip their future IAC-2.