Defense

The launch took place from Indira Gandhi Stadium in Vijayawada, Andhra Pradesh. The platform rose into the stratospheric zone, a region above normal aircraft operations and far below satellite orbits. This altitude band, roughly between 20 and 50 kilometres, is increasingly seen as a valuable “near-space” layer because it offers wide-area visibility, long dwell time and flexible deployment. Aircraft usually operate below 10 kilometres, while satellites operate far higher, leaving the stratosphere as a powerful but underused operating space.

The AMCA is more than another aircraft project. It is India’s attempt to enter the small league of nations capable of designing, testing and producing a stealth combat aircraft with advanced sensors, internal weapons carriage, network-centric operations and survivability against modern air defence systems. For the Indian Air Force, the aircraft is expected to become a major pillar of combat capability from the mid-2030s, when legacy fleets will be under pressure and regional air warfare will be shaped increasingly by stealth aircraft, long-range weapons, unmanned systems and electronic warfare.

According to the reported plan, around 90 to 92 aircraft may be manufactured in India through a partnership involving Dassault Aviation and an Indian private-sector company, while the remaining aircraft would arrive in fly-away condition from France. The Indian Express reported that around 90 aircraft are expected to be made in India, while ThePrint earlier reported a 22 fly-away and 92 India-made split.

The idea behind a biomimetic AUV is simple and powerful: the ocean already contains highly efficient underwater designs. Fish, tuna, rays, dolphins and whales move through water with efficiency, agility and reduced disturbance. Biomimetics translates such natural engineering into mechanical systems. IIT Madras describes biomimetic AUVs as platforms that mimic aquatic creatures for high propulsive efficiency, silent operation, fewer wake signatures and strong manoeuvrability.

The programme was organised around the larger national idea of Viksit Bharat, where young Indians are encouraged to see themselves as active participants in India’s development journey. Instead of treating defence outreach only as a recruitment exercise, Project Navbharat presents the Army as a disciplined institution of national service, technological capability and civic responsibility. This makes the initiative especially relevant in border and frontier regions, where the Army’s presence is deeply connected with security, public confidence and national integration.

The project began as CVRDE’s effort to convert BMP-II class tracked amphibious vehicles into tele-operated and autonomous platforms. According to DRDO’s Technology Focus account, CVRDE took up the “Conversion of BMP-II into Tele-operated and Autonomous Vehicle” project in 2007, later naming it MUNTRA. The programme developed technologies such as drive-by-wire control, tele-operation, perception systems, robotic manipulators, autonomous navigation, multi-sensor fusion, payload tele-operation, power management and software integration.