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A recently surfaced video has offered a potential first look at a groundbreaking design feature of India's future fifth-generation fighter, the Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft (AMCA).
The visuals suggest the aircraft will have the unique ability to carry specially designed Internal Fuel Tanks (IFTs) inside its Internal Weapons Bay (IWB), a capability that would provide a significant strategic edge over other advanced combat jets in the region.
This innovative feature, a first for any stealth fighter globally, allows the AMCA to maintain its low-detectability profile while significantly extending its operational range.
Developed by India's Aeronautical Development Agency (ADA) under the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), the AMCA project aims to equip the Indian Air Force with a state-of-the-art, multirole combat aircraft.
The design showcased reveals a highly flexible modular system. The AMCA’s weapons bay can be configured in two primary ways depending on mission needs.
For combat missions requiring a balance of range and firepower, the aircraft can be equipped with one fuel tank while still carrying two air-to-air missiles, such as the indigenous Astra Mk-II or Mk-III, in the other half of the bay.
This allows the AMCA to perform deep-penetration strikes or conduct long-duration air patrols over contested airspace without compromising its stealth characteristics.
For non-combat roles, such as repositioning the aircraft across long distances or for extended ferry flights, the entire weapons bay can be fitted with two internal fuel tanks.
This configuration maximises the aircraft's flight endurance without the need for external fuel tanks, which are commonly used by other fighters.
This flexibility is crucial for India, enabling rapid deployment of the AMCA across the country's vast and diverse theatres of operation, from the high-altitude Himalayas to the expansive Indian Ocean Region.
This internal fuel carriage solution represents a significant technological leap.
Currently, other fifth-generation stealth fighters, including the American F-35 and F-22 Raptor or China's J-20, rely on external "drop tanks" to fly longer missions.
However, these external tanks drastically increase an aircraft's radar cross-section, making it far more visible to enemy radar and effectively negating its primary advantage of stealth. The AMCA's internal system cleverly resolves this trade-off between range and stealth.
While official confirmation from the DRDO is awaited, the visuals strongly suggest that India’s indigenous defence programme is integrating advanced features that align with the Indian Air Force's doctrine of maintaining a long-range, deep-strike capability.
As the AMCA programme moves closer to its prototype phase, this development highlights India's growing ambition to produce cutting-edge military technology tailored to its specific national security requirements.
