What are 5th generation fighter jets? Why does India need them?

India will finally get 5th generation fighter jets.

This after the Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) gave the go-ahead to a long-standing proposal to indigenously design the craft.

But what are 5th generation fighter jets? Why does India need them?

Let’s take a closer look:

What are they?

Fifth-generation fighter jets are the apex predators of the sky.

The Joint Air Power Competence Centre (JAPCC) defines fifth-generation fighters as those which can function in “highly contested combat environments, defined by the presence of the most capable current air and ground threats, and those reasonably expected to be operational in the foreseeable future.”

According to Business Insider, only aircraft with features such as stealth capabilities which can cruise at supersonic speeds without engaging its afterburners can be classified as fifth-generation fighters.

Multi-spectral low-observable design features, self-protection, radar jamming capabilities, and integrated avionics distinguish fifth-generation fighters from their fourth generation peers.

According to Simple Flying.com, there are three 5th generation fighter jets in production.

These are the China’s Chengdu J-20, Russia’s Sukhoi Su-57, and US’ Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning.

America’s F-22 Raptor – the first fifth-generation fighter jet – is currently being used but is no longer being manufactured.

According to Business Insider, the final F-22 Raptor was manufactured by Lockheed Martin in December 2011 and delivered to the USAF in May 2012.

The F-22s aren’t being phased out anytime soon.

The company plans to keep the craft airborne for the next two decades.

US’ F-35

When it comes to fighter jets, the F-35 sits atop the food chain.

Lockheed Martin describes the F-35 as the ‘most lethal, survivable and connected fighter jet in the world.’

The F-35s are currently replacing the US’ trusty F-16s and A-10 Thunderbolt-IIs.

Business Insider quoted the US Air Force as saying the F-35s have “an enhanced capability to survive in the advanced threat environment in which it was designed to operate.”

It added that the F-35 “is an agile, versatile, high-performance, 9g capable multirole fighter that combines stealth, sensor fusion and unprecedented situational awareness.”

“The F-35 is a capability in indications and warnings, command and control, and intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance. All that, plus its speed and range speaks for itself. The benefits of interoperability and networking offered by the F-35 and its proliferation among allies and partners doesn’t bode well for an enemy of NATO,” Lockheed Martin quoted  retired US Air Force General Tod D. Wolters, Former NATO Supreme Allied Commander Europe as saying.

The Pentagon last year projected it would buy 83 of the stealthy F-35 fighter jets from Lockheed Martin for $9.8 billion.

But US president Joe Biden wants an 18 per cent cut in the number of F-35 jets the Pentagon buys next year after Congress’ cap on the size of the upcoming defence budget compelled the administration to find savings, two sources familiar with the situation said.

The Pentagon order for the stealthy fighter will drop to below 70, down from an expected order of 83, for an estimated $1.6 billion drop in spending on jets.

The US Department of Defence plans to spend an estimated $1.7 trillion on nearly 2,500 F-35s in the upcoming decades.

Lockheed expects the F-35s to remain in service until 2070.

Russia’s Su-57

The Sukhoi Su-57 is Russia’s first go at developing a fifth gen fighter, as per Business Insider.

According to Russian Defense Export, the craft is a fifth gen fighter with features that together ensure “overtness of combat operation due to low signature level in the radar field, ensure continued supersonic cruise flight, solve the whole range of fighter and strike tasks that are assigned on tactical aviation,”

Nicknamed Felon,’ by NATO, Russia is thought to have just 10 Su-57s.

However, state media has reported that the plan is to have 22 such craft by 2024 and 76 by 2028.

The craft first engaged in combat in Syria in 2018.

Russian officials have also claimed that the Su-57 has also fought in the Ukraine war.

However, experts point to several of its shortcomings to question if it even deserves to be classified as a fighter.

These include Moscow seemingly unable to fit the jets with stealth-capable engines and tightly placed body panels that would properly reduce its radar signature.

Justin Bronk, an airpower expert at the Royal United Services Institute (RUSI) think-tank, told the outlet the lack of use of the jets in the Ukraine war “suggests that they do not have confidence in the claimed stealth properties of the jet.”

China’s Chengdu-J20

According to Business Insider, the Chengdu-J20 entered service in 2017 after taking to the skies for the first time in 2011.

While China’s Chengdu J-20 is technically a fifth-generation fighter, the US doesn’t seem too concerned about it, according to Simple Flying.

This is perhaps because of gaps in its stealth tech, Richard Aboulafia, an aviation analyst at Teal Group, told Wired.

The outlet quoted General Kenneth Wilsbach, the head of Pacific Air Forces at USAF, as saying in 2023 that the Chengdu J-20 is not a ‘dominating craft’ – as against the US’ fighters.

He pointed out that the Chengdu J-20 copied technology from both the F-22 and F-35.

According to Business Insider, China is thought to have over 200 J-20s.

It is readying a slew of upgrades for the craft including using domestically-produced WS-15 engines.

“The J-20 engines have been a big headache, but I think they’re indicative of larger challenges within the Chinese defence industry,” said Mike Dahm, a former US Navy intelligence officer. “For all of China’s technological progress, they still lag behind the West in high-end manufacturing techniques, whether it is engines, low-observable materials, or metallurgy.”

“Precision manufacturing,” he added, “has an outsized impact on stealth and fifth-generation aircraft capabilities.”

Enter Turkey?

According to Bloomberg, Turkey is developing its own fifth-generation fighter jet known as Kaan.

The jet, a collaboration of Turkish Aerospace Industries and BAE Systems from the UK, in February had its first test flight.

The outlet quoted state broadcaster TRT as saying that the Kaan took off from the country’s capital Ankara.

It remained in the air for a little over 10 minutes.

Turkey was denied access to the F-35s in 2019 after it purchased S-400 air defence missiles from Russia.

However, don’t expect the Kaan to be ready for action anytime soon.

According to Bloomberg, the fifth-generation fighter will ‘take years’ to be ready for combat.

Finding and getting an engine for the craft remains the biggest challenge.

The outlet in December reported that Turkey was aiming to manufacture GE Aerospace’s F110 engines locally.

Why does India need them?

India needs to bolster its air defences against China and Pakistan.

Beijing currently has 3,304 aircraft, while India and Pakistan have 2,296 aircraft and 1,434 aircraft respectively.

The Indian Air Force is also in need of an Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft (AMCA).

India is also looking to increase its self-reliance when it comes to the defence sector.

It is to be noted that while India is attempting to beef up its air force and phase out aging crafts, deliveries of fighter jets and other equipment takes time.

India, once it possesses these fifth gen fighters, will also join an extremely exclusive club of US, Russia and China.

The CCS also accorded in-principle approval to procure 34 Dhruv advanced light helicopters for the Coast Guard and the Indian Army.

The people described the go ahead for the AMCA project as extremely crucial.

India has been working on the ambitious AMCA project to develop the medium weight deep penetration fighter jet with advanced stealth features to bolster its air power capability.

The initial development cost of the project has been estimated at around Rs 15,000 crore.

Under the plan, five prototypes of the AMCA will jointly be built by the Aeronautical Development Agency (ADA) and state-run Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) with support from private industries.

India’s confidence in the development of the AMCA saw a significant jump after the development of the Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) Tejas.

Manufactured by state-run aerospace behemoth HAL, the Tejas aircraft is a potent platform for air combat and offensive air support missions while reconnaissance and anti-ship operations are its secondary roles.

The IAF is also in the process of procuring 114 Multi-Role Fighter Aircraft (MRFA).

In April 2019, the IAF issued an RFI (Request for Information), or initial tender, to acquire 114 jets at a cost of around $18 billion. It was billed as one of the world’s biggest military procurement programmes in recent years.

With inputs from agencies