NEW DELHI: In the midst of a fresh arms race with Pakistan, weeks after a military confrontation between the neighbors, India’s defense minister approved a framework on Tuesday for the construction of the nation’s most sophisticated stealth fighter jet.
According to the ministry, the Indian state-run Aeronautical Development Agency, which is carrying out the initiative, will soon solicit preliminary interest from defense companies for creating a prototype of the warplane, which is intended to be a twin-engine, fifth-generation fighter.
At a time when rival China is rapidly growing its air force, the Indian Air Force (IAF), whose squadrons of primarily Russian and former Soviet aircraft have decreased to 31 from an approved strength of 42, needs the project. Pakistan possesses a J-10, one of China’s most sophisticated warplanes.
