Midhani Supplies Titanium Alloy for Medium Combat Jets’ Airframe

HYDERABAD: As India works to further strengthen its armed forces by equipping them with the advanced medium combat aircraft (AMCA), Hyderabad-based defence PSU, Midhani, has begun supplying the titanium alloy material needed to make the airframe for the aircraft.

“The airframe is an important part of AMCA which is being developed for the first time in India. Other structures come up on airframe and to make it, we have provided a strategic titanium alloy. Some of the requirements have already been met,” Midhani CMD Sanjay Kumar Jha told TOI.

It was decided that the needed material would be developed indigenously under the Atmanirbhar Bharat programme, the technology for it was developed at Midhani. While five slabs have been supplied so far, another seven will be supplied in due course for the work that has begun on the AMCA.

Midhani has used a similar technology that it used to provide a specialised titanium alloy used in the making of the crew escape system of ISRO’s Gaganyaan programme. When the advance fighter jet becomes a reality, it will be a crucial arrow in the quiver of the Indian Air Force. With AMCA, India will be joining an elite club of countries which have a fifth generation combat aircraft.

The plan is to have 120 stealth fighters to give muscle to the IAF and also the Indian Navy. The aircraft design is by Aeronautical Development Agency (ADA) under the ministry of defence with DRDO and HAL working on the project.

Going by what Indian Air Force chief RKS Bhaduaria said last year, the DRDO has set a target to roll out the AMCA by 2027. In the second phase of the production, sixth generation technologies will be included in the stealth fighter. Also by 2032, the IAF will have at least 18 squadrons of fighter jets if plans were to materialise.