From Ambitions to Challenges: India’s $1.7 Billion Quest for a Homegrown Stealth Fighter Aircraft

On May 27, 2025, India’s defense minister signed off on an ambitious project—the Anka stealth fighter program—marking a bold attempt at defense independence with a $1.7 billion investment. This 17-year endeavor aims to revive India’s aviation industry and enhance its air force capabilities amidst mounting regional security concerns and rapid advancements by neighboring countries.

Aiming for Strategic Autonomy amid Regional Tensions

With tensions simmering on the India-Pakistan border, New Delhi found itself under pressure to modernize its air force. Currently operating with only 30 fighter squadrons, India falls well short of its target of 42 squadrons. Many existing aircraft, including aging Russian MIG-29s and French Mirage 2000s, are nearing retirement, while newer threats like China’s J-20 and J-35 fighters loom large. The inability to secure reliable technology transfer deals with Russia, notably after the $6 billion Su-57 project faltered without meaningful tech sharing, pushed India to turn to the United States. However, delays in acquiring the F-35 stealth fighters and concerns over potential limitations in operational freedom further fueled India’s desire for a domestically developed stealth platform.

The Anka Project: Vision and Reality

Promising a 25-ton, dual-engine stealth fighter with advanced features such as S-shaped air intakes and a radar cross-section comparable to early F-35 models, the Anka seemed poised to revolutionize India’s air capabilities. Its promotional materials depicted futuristic AI command systems and drone swarms, hinting at South Asian skies dominated by Indian technology by 2035. However, turning this vision into reality has been fraught with challenges. The Indian defense research organization’s breakthrough in ultra-broadband wave-absorbing materials—key for stealth coatings—proved unreliable in India’s hot and humid climate, with materials cracking and peeling within a week. Integration issues surfaced during testing, as combining Israeli electronic warfare suites with Russian infrared search systems and Western processors resulted in critical system failures.

The propulsion situation remains a critical bottleneck. After decades of stagnation in developing an indigenous engine, India was forced to adopt the U.S. General Electric F414 engine. Indigenous efforts like the Kaveri engine program have languished for over 30 years, unable to produce engines viable even for lightweight fighters, much less a stealth aircraft.

Industrial Hurdles and Supply Chain Constraints

India’s traditional reliance on state-owned enterprises like Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) has hampered progress. HAL’s production remains slow and limited; over 42 years, it has yet to mature the Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) into mass production or achieve production rates above 10 aircraft annually. The accident rates of assembled MiG-21s further highlight systemic issues.

In a landmark shift, the Indian Ministry of Defense has now opened the Anka program to private consortiums, including major industrial houses such as Tata and Reliance. This move aims to break the longstanding monopoly of state players and inject market competitiveness. However, private companies face steep learning curves, as advanced stealth manufacturing requires mastery over complex processes like titanium alloy fabrication—areas where these firms have no prior experience.

The supply chain adds another layer of complexity. The Anka requires 78 types of special alloys, but India can locally supply only 23 types of titanium alloys, and even those are insufficient to build more than two prototypes. Compared globally, India’s $1.7 billion R&D budget pales in comparison to the hundreds of billions spent on U.S. F-35 and Chinese J-20 programs.

Bridging the Technology Gap and Future Prospects

By the time the Anka is slated for mass production around 2035, rivals like China’s J-20 would have been operational for nearly two decades, with successive engine upgrades and advanced systems such as intelligent skin and distributed optical aperture technology already deployed in combat. The U.S. F-35 has also matured into a global strike networked platform. Even Russia’s Su-57, despite debates about its stealth characteristics, boasts a unique ultra-mobility advantage.

Technically, the Anka’s radar cross-section is estimated to be more than ten times larger than the J-20’s, with questionable supersonic cruise capabilities and avionics integration lagging significantly behind its international counterparts. Moreover, India’s ambitious plans for a sixth-generation stealth fighter—featuring variable cycle engines that have yet to be prototyped globally—seem premature and potentially unrealistic.

Yet, the deeper value of the Anka program may lie beyond the aircraft itself. It represents an imperative push for India to overhaul its military-industrial complex, establish an indigenous supply chain for critical materials, and tackle persistent systemic problems including corruption. As former air force chiefs have warned, India’s current engine thrust-to-weight ratios and technological capabilities remain stuck in the previous century—a critical vulnerability as neighboring powers surge ahead.

Learning from Global Examples and Building Consensus

India’s neighbors provide instructive examples. South Korea’s KF-21 program relies heavily on technology transfer but has nonetheless yielded a quasi-stealth fighter built domestically in a relatively short time frame. For India, the key challenge is building consensus on industrial reform, technological independence, and sustained investment beyond ambition alone.

If the Anka program can serve as a catalyst for comprehensive reform—strengthening the defense ecosystem, encouraging public-private partnerships, and fostering a culture of innovation—even if delayed or scaled back, it would signify meaningful progress for India’s defense capabilities.

Conclusion: An Ambitious Journey Ahead

The Anka stealth fighter embodies India’s enduring aspiration to achieve strategic autonomy in defense amid evolving geopolitical realities. Despite monumental hurdles in technology, production, and finance, the project serves as a vital step for industrial revival and military modernization. As the decade unfolds, the success of the Anka program will depend not just on engineering breakthroughs but on India’s ability to reform its defense industrial base and commit to long-term investments. Whether the dream of a “J20 killer” becomes a reality or remains a cautionary tale, India’s journey toward self-reliance in stealth fighter development will shape the future trajectory of its aerial power for decades to come.