Why is it in the news?

• The Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) has approved the project for the design and development of India’s fifth-generation fighter jet, Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft (AMCA).

 About AMCA

• The AMCA is an Indian fifth-generation stealth, multirole combat aircraft developed for both the Indian Air Force and Indian Navy.
• It is designed by the Aeronautical Development Agency (ADA), which operates as an Aircraft Design Agency under the Ministry of Defence.
• Production will involve a public-private joint venture between the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL), and an Indian private company.

Specifications:

• It is designed as a single-seat, twin-engine combat aircraft.
• Weighing 25 tonnes, it features an internal weapons bay and Diverterless Supersonic Intake, a technology developed indigenously for the first time in India.

Significance:

• The AMCA is intended to perform various operations including air supremacy, ground-strike, suppression of enemy air defences (SEAD), and electronic warfare (EW) missions.
• It is slated to replace the Sukhoi Su-30MKI air superiority fighter, which currently serves as the backbone of the Indian Air Force’s fighter fleet.