NEW DELHI – India’s Defence Ministry has approved a landmark framework for the development of the country’s most advanced stealth fighter jet, in a move that signals a significant push to modernise its air force amid escalating tensions with neighbouring Pakistan. The announcement on May 27 comes just weeks after a brief but intense military conflict between the two nuclear-armed rivals, which has fuelled an arms race across multiple domains including aerial combat and drone warfare.
The new fighter jet programme, spearheaded by the state-run Aeronautical Development Agency (ADA), aims to produce a twin-engine fifth-generation warplane equipped with cutting-edge stealth, agility, and sensor fusion capabilities. This project is seen as vital for the Indian Air Force (IAF), whose combat squadrons have dwindled to 31—well below the sanctioned strength of 42—as India faces an increasingly modernised Chinese air fleet and a Pakistani air force armed with advanced Chinese J-10 fighters.
Following the approval, ADA will soon begin inviting expressions of interest from defence firms for building the prototype. The government has emphasised that both private and state-owned companies may bid, either independently or in joint ventures. The decision marks a strategic shift towards increasing private sector participation in defence manufacturing, long dominated by public enterprises like Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL).
In March, a defence committee had already recommended boosting private sector involvement to address delays and production bottlenecks that have hampered existing military aviation programmes. The IAF has publicly expressed frustration over HAL’s delayed delivery of the indigenous Tejas fighter jets, blaming supply chain issues from engine supplier General Electric for the setbacks.
India’s stealth fighter initiative is not just a technological leap but also a strategic countermeasure against Pakistan, with whom it engaged in a four-day military face-off earlier this month. That conflict saw the unprecedented deployment of fighter jets, drones, missiles and artillery by both sides before a ceasefire was brokered by US President Donald Trump. For the first time, both nations used drones at scale, highlighting a new frontier in South Asia’s arms race.
As India accelerates its defence modernisation efforts, officials say the stealth fighter project will help achieve greater self-reliance in military capabilities, reduce dependence on foreign technology, and reinforce national security at a time of growing regional instability.