Last updated:
India aims to create sixth generation fighter aircraft: Which countries are in the European Union? Which other countries are in the running? Jet’s features explained
Although they share the basic DNA of the sixth generation, their technical focus and design philosophies differ. (AI generated/News18 Hindi file)
As India looks to strengthen its air force, the Defense Ministry has informed the Standing Committee on Defense that it is considering joining one of the two European global consortiums working on developing the sixth generation fighter aircraft. The committee said that one union consists of Britain, Italy and Japan, while the other consists of Germany and France.
what does that involve? What are these aircraft and their lineage? News18 tells.
what the report says
“The Committee has been informed that two consortia are working on sixth generation aircraft. One is a consortium of UK, Italy and Japan and the other is a consortium of France and Germany and both are developing the aircraft,” the committee said in its report tabled in the Lok Sabha, as reported by ANI.
The Committee has also been informed that the Air Force will endeavor to tie up with one of the consortiums and immediately start considering sixth generation fighter aircraft to ensure that they do not lag behind in achieving the goal of advanced aircraft.
Options that India is considering
India is considering its options between the two multinational consortiums. While they share core 6th-generation DNA – like stealth, AI-integration, and manned-unmanned teaming – their technical focus and design philosophies differ.
Option 1: Global Combat Air Program (GCAP)
A partnership between the UK, Italy and Japan.
plane: Its goal is to field a stealth fighter by 2035. Focused on the BAE Systems Tempest, it aimed to design a stealth, twin-engine fighter designed for high speed and long range. Its key features include an augmented reality cockpit, AI-powered mission management and the ability to carry twice the weapons payload of the F-35A, the report said.
Situation: Prototype flights are expected by 2027 and service entry by 2035.
Lineage and Origin
UK/Italy (Tempest): Developed to replace the Eurofighter Typhoon. Its roots lie in the UK’s ‘Combat Air Strategy’ (2018) and earlier ‘Future Offensive Air System’ studies, which were intended to replace the Tornado.
Japan (Mitsubishi FX): Born out of Japan’s need to replace the Japanese F-16 derivative Mitsubishi F-2, after the US refused to export the F-22 Raptor in 2007. This includes data from the Mitsubishi X-2 Shinshin Technology Demonstrator.
In December 2022, these separate projects merged into GCAP to share costs and technology.
Option 2: Future Combat Air System (FCAS)
Led by France, Germany and Spain. France is reportedly pushing for India’s participation, seeing it as a logical extension of its existing Rafale partnership.
plane: The core is the New Generation Fighter (NGF), a powered supersonic jet designed for multi-domain warfare. The report said it is being developed as a “system of systems” that includes remote carriers (loyal wingman drones) and a combat cloud to share real-time data across all units.
Situation: According to reports, the program targeted for 2040 has faced internal workshare disputes between Dassault and Airbus.
Lineage and Origin
France: Its aim is to replace Dassault Rafale. France is the lead country, Dassault Aviation is the main contractor of this fighter aircraft.
Germany and Spain: They are planning to replace their respective Eurofighter Typhoon fleets. Airbus for Germany and Indra for Spain are ahead.
History: The project was initiated in 2017 by French President Emmanuel Macron and then-German Chancellor Angela Merkel, the head of European defense sovereignty.
What is the difference between the two jets?
Both jets are being designed with revolutionary capabilities that exceed current 5th generation standards such as the F-35 or J-20.
- Manned-Unmanned Teaming (MUM-T): The piloted combat aircraft acts as a “command node” controlling multiple autonomous drones, often referred to as “loyal wingmen” or “remote carriers”. These drones perform high-risk tasks like decoys, electronic jamming or saturation strikes.
- Combat Cloud Networking: A decentralized digital backbone that shares real-time data across the air, land, sea, space, and cyber domains. This allows one platform to use the other’s sensors to guide its missiles.
- Directed-energy weapons (DEW): Integration of high-powered laser and microwave weapons for immediate defense against incoming missiles and drones.
- Adaptive Cycle Engines: Powerplants that can switch between high-thrust mode for combat and fuel-efficient mode for long-distance travel. They also provide the enormous electrical power needed for DEWs and advanced sensors.
GCAP (Tempest)
GCAP emphasizes modularity and high-speed data processing for Indo-Pacific and NATO requirements.
Wearable Cockpit: A revolutionary interface without a physical screen; The pilot uses an augmented reality (AR) helmet to view a 360-degree digital representation of the battlefield. This includes eye-tracking and gesture controls.
Intelligent Virtual Assistant (IVA): An onboard AI “co-pilot” that monitors the pilot’s biometric status such as stress, fatigue, cognitive load and can take over flight or sensor tasks to prevent information overload.
ISANKE Sensor Suite: An “integrated sensing and non-kinetic effect” system that treats the entire airframe as a sensor network, providing much more data than current standalone radars.
FCAS (New Generation Fighter)
FCAS focuses on European strategic autonomy and deep multi-domain integration.
Human-Machine Interaction (HMI): Features highly context-aware interfaces, including brain-computer interfaces (neural links) and voice commands, to simplify complex drone swarm management.
Multispectral stealth: Beyond just radar-absorbing materials, it uses metamaterials and adaptive skins to reduce infrared (heat), acoustic and visual signatures.
Combat cloud priority: French leaders have suggested that the “combat cloud” – the ability to network even legacy assets like the Rafale – is more important to the program than the fighter aircraft.
Why is the sixth generation project important?
Recently the Chinese Air Force had also released its visuals. sixth generation fighter aircraftWhich are under development. The Chinese have also fully developed the fifth generation fighter aircraft, which they will also share with Pakistan in the near future.
The Indian Air Force currently operates about 29 squadrons against the authorized strength of 42. sixth generation project This is seen as a way to counter China’s rapid progress.
Joining these programs will provide early access to critical “system of systems” technologies, including artificial intelligence (AI), manned-unmanned teaming (loyal wingmen), advanced sensors, and next-generation propulsion.
Analysts say the sixth generation collaboration will help mature the domestic aerospace ecosystem for future variants.
Countries that have sixth generation fighter programs
United States of America
Air Force (NGAD): Developing the Boeing F-47 (design selected by 2025) to replace the F-22 Raptor.
Navy (F/A-XX): A separate program to replace the F/A-18 Super Hornet. Congress recently added $897 million to the 2026 budget to accelerate the project despite previous Pentagon delays.
China
Several prototypes are being actively tested, including the larger tailless J-36 and the smaller J-50.
Observers also noted the “White Emperor” concept, a futuristic design for supersonic and potentially near-space operations.
Emerging players and ambitions
Russia: PAK DP (MiG-41), a high-altitude pursuit hypersonic interceptor. However, its development remains unclear due to industrial constraints.
Sweden: Formerly part of the Tempest project, Sweden is currently conducting feasibility studies for its future combat air needs.
Brazil: Embraer and the Brazilian Air Force announced plans to eventually develop a 6th generation platform based on Gripen technologies in 2024.
What about fifth generation fighters?
The Indian Air Force (IAF) plans to induct six squadrons of the fifth generation fighter jets And deploy them beyond 2035. India has also opted to co-develop a stronger 110-120 kN engine with a French company and it will be used to power the indigenous fifth generation aircraft.
On indigenous fifth-generation combat aircraft, the committee said, “The design of Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft (AMCA) has been developed and discussions are currently underway for its production.”
with agency input
March 20, 2026, 12:09 IST
read more
