Defence Minister Rajnath Singh has announced that India will soon begin building its own fifth-generation fighter aircraft and engines, marking a major leap in the country’s drive for self-reliance in defence technology.
Speaking at the ET World Leaders’ Summit, Singh confirmed that engine manufacturing will be carried out in collaboration with French aerospace giant Safran. “We are moving forward not only in developing the Fifth Generation fighter aircraft but also in manufacturing its engine within India. The work on this joint project with Safran is about to begin,” he said.
The announcement comes as part of India’s ambitious Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft (AMCA) programme, which aims to develop the country’s first stealth fighter jet. The Defence Ministry’s Aeronautical Development Agency (ADA) has already invited Expressions of Interest for building five prototypes of the AMCA.
Highlighting India’s recent successes in indigenous defence, the minister called the Tejas light combat aircraft a “splendid example” of self-reliant capability. “Challenges exist, but we are determined to overcome them and establish full capacity to manufacture advanced fighter aircraft in India,” Singh added.
The AMCA and Tejas aircraft are expected to become the backbone of the Indian Air Force in the coming years. Singh also revealed that Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) has secured fresh orders worth ₹66,000 crore for 97 Tejas jets, in addition to the earlier order of 83 aircraft valued at ₹48,000 crore.
The developments underline India’s growing push to reduce dependence on foreign defence imports and strengthen its indigenous aerospace industry.
