Indian Air Chief Marshal Rakesh Bhadauria issues a statement following the Indian-French Air Force exercise Desert Knight 2021. According to him, 8 French Rafale fighters have already arrived in India, three more planes are expected by the end of January.
Indian Air Force Commander noted, that against this background, the country is developing a fifth generation fighter. earlier it was reported, that such work is being carried out within the AMCA project.
Rakesh Bhadauria:
We started work on the fifth generation fighters with a slight delay.. But we are ready to implement technologies in the course of developing the latest aircraft. We have developments, which we will translate into reality.
Indian Marshal noted, that in the process of working on the fifth generation fighter "some principles of the sixth generation aircraft will also be introduced".
About, what principles are meant, Indian Air Force Commander did not elaborate. He also did not name the timing of the completion of development..
Meanwhile, in India itself, he was criticized for his words about a "slight delay" in the development of a 5th generation fighter. celebrated, that this delay should be called honestly - "critical". The thing is, that today the Indian Air Force would already receive a new generation of fighters, how it happens in the RF Aerospace Forces. After all, initially the FGFA project was joint. But India decided to leave it, declaring, that the characteristics of the aircraft being developed do not suit her.
The United States now has fifth-generation fighters, China and the Russian Federation, and India may have AMCA not earlier than 2032 of the year.
