Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft (AMCA) News and Discussion

[PRO]

MIDHANI and DRDO Forging the AMCA's Stealth Features with Material Breakthroughs​

India's pursuit of a cutting-edge, indigenously developed fighter jet takes a major stride as state-owned MIDHANI (Mishra Dhatu Nigam Limited) and the Defence Metallurgical Research Laboratory (DMRL), a key laboratory within the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), spearhead the creation of next-generation alloys for the Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft (AMCA).

These advanced materials hold the key to the AMCA's stealth capabilities, allowing it to outmaneuver adversaries and evade detection by enemy radar.

MIDHANI: A Proven Partner in Aerospace Innovation​

MIDHANI's contributions to India's aerospace ambitions are well-established.

The company's successful development and supply of 12 titanium slabs for the AMCA underscores its expertise in producing specialized alloys tailored for the rigorous demands of modern fighter aircraft.

DMRL: Driving Metallurgical Breakthroughs​

DMRL is at the forefront of India's materials research, developing cutting-edge alloys custom-made for the AMCA. A prime example is the High Strength Metastable Beta Titanium Alloy, offering remarkable advantages for aerospace structural components.

Its lighter weight compared to traditional steel boosts aircraft performance and translates directly into improved fuel efficiency.

Beyond Titanium: DMRL's Arsenal of Advanced Materials​

The AMCA's stealth and performance rely on a diverse array of next-generation materials. Here's a look at other innovations in DMRL's pipeline:

• Carbon Fiber-Reinforced Polymers (CFRP): These composites are renowned for their unmatched strength-to-weight ratio. CFRPs also reduce heat and radar signatures, bolstering the AMCA's stealth profile. Their successful use in the Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) Tejas, where they comprise 45% of the airframe, demonstrates their benefits for weight reduction and structural integrity.
• Aluminum Alloys: DMRL is formulating advanced aluminum alloys to strike a balance between strength, weight, and cost-effectiveness, opening up possibilities for their use in various AMCA components.
• High-Tech Steels: Where extreme strength and durability are paramount, DMRL is engineering specialized high-tech steels for strategic use within the AMCA's design.

A Multi-Faceted Stealth Strategy​

DRDO's ingenuity extends beyond materials alone. Researchers have developed specialized radar-absorbent paints and coatings, further minimizing the AMCA's radar reflection.

This comprehensive approach, combining advanced alloys, composites, and stealthy coatings, positions the AMCA as a formidable 5th-generation fighter with an exceptionally low radar cross-section.

The Path to Self-Reliance​

The collaboration between MIDHANI and DRDO in developing the AMCA's "stealthy skin" is a significant milestone in India's journey toward self-reliance in advanced defence technologies.

By mastering the complex science of stealth materials and coatings, India reduces its dependence on foreign suppliers and paves the way for a truly indigenous, next-generation fighter jet.

 

[sanket]

Private sector too has to Invest , they just interested in profits.if India is Going to become Atmanirbhar in Aero-Sector. Pvt can also involve in MRO Facility this is another opportunity.

 

[venkat]

Starting with hal means Amca is dead

 

[sanket]

people want AMCA to b ready within 2 to 3 years for Induction. thats Diffrence between other 4.75 Stealth Fighters & AMCA .

 

[Apocalypse gupta]

Going for existing facility will be much cheaper and faster. But then how is private sector going to maintain control using its majority stake if HAL facility is being used. It is good initiative to go for public private partnership, but how will it work?

 

[Ajath]

Hope the stakeholders gets going now that CCS has greenlighted the project.

 

[Sivasankar]

Lot of talk on AMCA. High time to get to work.

 

[Apocalypse gupta]

India is always lagging when it comes to metallurgical research for aircraft manufacturing. This seems like a good development. Even kalyani is going to set up a titanium plant in odisha. Right now we have to depend on imports. This can bring down the import % in aircrafts like tejas

 

[nakul1307]

Why are Tata, Adani not contributing here if they are so nationalist

 

[NSR]

Where is the space?

It will be manufacturing Tejas IA, Tejas Mk2, TEDBF, and of course AMCA in same factory space.
Not possible without private companies participation at all.

HAL already bit more than it can bite and chew at the same time.

 

[Instant Karma]

Private sector too has to Invest , they just interested in profits.if India is Going to become Atmanirbhar in Aero-Sector. Pvt can also involve in MRO Facility this is another opportunity.

Private sector companies are not interested. They want readymade products just like C 295 by TATA and M4 by kalyani and K9 by L&T. They only want to assemble and do screwdriving jobs. They don't have the mental capacity and strength to do such technological advanced projects.

Only HAL can do it. Instead of waiting for 5 years to call the private sector companies, government should have allowed HAL to start work on the project. HAL world have already started serial production of AMCA.

 

[CCPSmasher]

Do you want your project in eternity? Well, then you go for HAL

 

[ABHIJIT APSINGIKAR]

Doubt anyone notes the Irony? The low observable di-electric composite skin is going to be developed by DRDO/MIDHANI? MIDHANI/DMRL as an organization was created to develop metallurgical alloys, can someone at DRDO care to explain as to why did they think an organization specializing in metallurgy was thought to be good enough to take a lead on developing low observable composites?

That right there amply demonstrates the malady afflicting DRDO projects. The program inception phase itself is screwed with having people ill-equipped to handle the projects take lead role in the project. Not surprised most of their projects are horribly managed and rarely reach fruition.

 

[Instant Karma]

Where is the space?

It will be manufacturing Tejas IA, Tejas Mk2, TEDBF, and of course AMCA in same factory space.
Not possible without private companies participation at all.

HAL already bit more than it can bite and chew at the same time.

HAL has huge land in odisha sunabeda where it is manufacturing Mig and sukhoi engines. It has 8200 acres of land in odisha. That much land is sufficient to build a plant that could manufacture A380 or Boeing 777 or AN 224.

It seems that you don't know anything about HAL. HAL is a Ocean in itself and TATA, L&T, Adani, are small ponds as compared to HAL.

 

[Instant Karma]

Why are Tata, Adani not contributing here if they are so nationalist

They are fake nationalists.

 

[Anant]

Why are Tata, Adani not contributing here if they are so nationalist

Give them a guarantee of orders and explain the profit margins, diversification benefits, supply chain partner conditions, etc.

They won't partner simply based on nationalism. They have stakeholders to answer to.

 

[ABHIJIT APSINGIKAR]

Private sector companies are not interested. They want readymade products just like C 295 by TATA and M4 by kalyani and K9 by L&T. They only want to assemble and do screwdriving jobs. They don't have the mental capacity and strength to do such technological advanced projects.

Only HAL can do it. Instead of waiting for 5 years to call the private sector companies, government should have allowed HAL to start work on the project. HAL world have already started serial production of AMCA.

Are u serious? HAL had all the freedom with LCA MK2 and were originally scheduled to roll out the prototype in 2023 but that later turned to 2024 and then to 2025. Similarly, they were originally slated to start test trials by 2025 but now they are likely to only commence in 2027. They had a very narrow window of opportunity where the induction of LCA MK2 made any pragmatic sense. Yet they blew it spectacularly. Its been painfully obvious for industry analysts for a while that the AMCA program has been delayed beyond measure and even the AMCA MK1, which is expected to be a 4-4.5 generation fighter will not see service anytime before 2037-40.

 

[Instant Karma]

Give them a guarantee of orders and explain the profit margins, diversification benefits, supply chain partner conditions, etc.

They won't partner simply based on nationalism. They have stakeholders to answer to.

They only want easy money without any hardwork.

 

[ABHIJIT APSINGIKAR]

Starting with hal means Amca is dead

U cant kill something that was never alive to begin with. When was the project alive and lively moving?

 

[Instant Karma]

Are u serious? HAL had all the freedom with LCA MK2 and were originally scheduled to roll out the prototype in 2023 but that later turned to 2024 and then to 2025. Similarly, they were originally slated to start test trials by 2025 but now they are likely to only commence in 2027. They had a very narrow window of opportunity where the induction of LCA MK2 made any pragmatic sense. Yet they blew it spectacularly. Its been painfully obvious for industry analysts for a while that the AMCA program has been delayed beyond measure and even the AMCA MK1, which is expected to be a 4-4.5 generation fighter will not see service anytime before 2037-40.

HAL had no freedom. First, it was under pressure of privatisation by the government due to lobbying by the private sector companies. Than government withdraw its cash reserves and HAL had to take loans from SBI to pay salaries. Than there was fight between HAL, ADA and DRDO over the design changes made by HAL on Tejas.
Then there was pressure from government to hand over the manufacturing of Tejas fighters parts to private sector companies which delayed the Tejas programme by 5 years. Those private sector companies selected to manufacturing of parts of Tejas were to be trained and handfed by HAL at its own cost. Technology transferred to private companies.
The parts manufactured by the private sector companies were not up to the mark and HAL had to manufacture them in house.