Domestic fifth-generation fighter delayed, India directly launches sixth-generation fighter?
Unable to produce fifth-generation fighters, India chooses to skip and directly launch a sixth-generation fighter project?
On the 19th, the US "The Drive" website reported that according to India's 2026 defense budget report published by the parliament, the domestic fifth-generation fighter project AMCA may not be completed on time, so the Indian military is considering launching a sixth-generation fighter and plans to join the European sixth-generation fighter development club (referring to the GCAP of the UK, Italy, and Japan, and the FCAS of Germany, France, and Spain).
However, the US media poured cold water on India. Its report believes that it is not easy for India to join the European fighter project, and the next-generation fighter projects in Europe are not the best choice for India, because both projects face the risk of being abandoned:
Japan's interest in GCAP is becoming increasingly cold, and the UK's funding for the project faces domestic resistance; the dispute between Germany and France over the leadership of FCAS has become public, and if an agreement is not reached in the negotiations in April this year, the project will split completely.
In fact, the question of whether India should join GCAP or FCAS, and when India is ready to purchase Su-57, are long-standing issues in India's defense field, but each discussion at the official level has no follow-up.
Frankly speaking, India itself may not have made up its mind, whether to continue to bet on AMCA (according to India's announced schedule and its industrial base, AMCA is likely to fail to be completed on time, unless India directly buys foreign parts for assembly), or directly buy Su-57 or cooperate with Europe to develop a sixth-generation fighter.
Finally, a side note. In the comments section of this news article on the "The Drive" website, a foreign netizen gave a sharp comment: "Any country that is frustrated with its own military procurement system can just look at India and immediately feel better."
Original: toutiao.com/article/1860178312116231/
Statement: This article represents the views of the author.