CLOSING THE STEALTH GAP

AFTER THE US UNVEILS ITS SIXTH-GEN F-47 AND CHINA PUSHES AHEAD WITH PROTOTYPES TO REDEFINE AERIAL WARFARE, INDIA IS RACING AGAINST TIME TO FIELD A FIFTH-GEN STEALTH FIGHTER AND MODERNISE ITS AIR FORCE

- Pradip R. Sagar

ON MARCH 21, THE UNITED STATES UNVEILED ITS SIXTH-GENERATION FIGHTER JET, the Boeing F-47, under the Next Generation Air Dominance (NGAD) programme. Announced by President Donald Trump from the Oval Office, this milestone positions the US as the first nation to field a sixth-gen fighter, with deployment targeted by the end of this decade. Designed to replace the fifth-gen F-22 Raptor, the F-47 features cutting-edge technologies, including a more efficient and high-thrust engine for supercruise, stealth enhancements and integration with Artificial Intelligence (AI). With plans for 200 jets paired with 1,000 combat drones, the NGAD programme reflects a shift toward a “system of systems” approach, prioritising long-range engagement and battlefield adaptability over traditional dogfighting.

For India, this development couldn’t have come at a more precarious moment. While the world’s major powers prepare for sixth-generation aerial warfare, New Delhi remains locked in a desperate struggle to field its first fifth-gen fighter, the Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft (AMCA). The Aeronautical Development Agency (ADA)—the nodal body for the AMCA’s development—maintains that the first flight will take place by 2028-29, with induction in the 2030s. But military aviation experts believe this timeline might already be too delayed. That's because China is busy mass-producing its fifth-gen J-20 fighters, having deployed a few along the Line of Actual Control, and is experimenting with its sixth-gen J-36 prototypes, unveiled in December 2024. What's more, even Pakistan is looking to procure a fleet of 40 J-35As—China’s second fifth-gen fighters—from Beijing.