UPSC Prelims 2024 Q35: Fifth-Generation Fighter Aircraft — Explained

Consider the following aircraft:

1. Rafael

2. MiG-29

3. Tejas MK-1

How many of the above are considered fifth generation fighter aircraft?

  1. Only one
  2. Only two
  3. All three
  4. None

Answer: (d) None

Statement-wise explanation

  • 1: incorrect — The Rafale, built by France's Dassault Aviation, is a 4.5-generation (also called 4+ generation) multirole fighter. It has an AESA radar, sensor fusion and Meteor and SCALP missiles. It has no full stealth airframe and no internal weapons bay, which are the defining fifth-generation features. India's 36 Rafales were bought under a 2016 deal and are based at Ambala and Hasimara.
  • 2: incorrect — The MiG-29 is a Soviet fourth-generation air-superiority fighter. Its prototype first flew in 1977 and it entered service in the mid-1980s. It has a look-down/shoot-down radar and good manoeuvrability, but no stealth shaping, no internal weapons bays and no supercruise.
  • 3: incorrect — The Ministry of Defence describes the LCA Tejas as a light, all-weather, multirole 4.5-generation aircraft. It has relaxed static stability, quadruplex fly-by-wire controls, a glass cockpit and a composite airframe. India's planned fifth-generation fighter is a different aircraft, the Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft (AMCA). It has not entered service.

How to eliminate

This question cannot be solved by wording tricks. You need one fact: India has no fifth-generation fighter in service. Its fifth-generation project, the AMCA, is still being developed. All three aircraft listed fly with the Indian Air Force, so none of them can be fifth-generation. You can also check each one. The MiG-29 is a 1970s Soviet design, so it is clearly too old. Tejas is India's light combat aircraft and is officially called 4.5-generation. The Rafale is the likeliest trap because it is new and very capable, but it is 4.5-generation, not stealth. Remember the short list of fifth-generation fighters in service: F-22 and F-35 (USA), J-20 (China) and Su-57 (Russia). Any name outside this list is not fifth-generation.

Know more

Fighter generations group jet fighters by the technology they use, not by the year they were built. The labels are informal, but most sources agree on the broad lines.

Generation Defining features Examples
1st (1940s–50s) Subsonic jets, guns MiG-15, F-86 Sabre
2nd Supersonic, basic radar, early air-to-air missiles MiG-21, F-104
3rd Multirole, better radar, beyond-visual-range missiles F-4 Phantom
4th Fly-by-wire, high manoeuvrability, pulse-Doppler radar MiG-29, Su-27/Su-30MKI, F-16, Mirage 2000
4.5 / 4+ AESA radar, composites, some radar-signature reduction, networking Rafale, Eurofighter Typhoon, Tejas, Su-35
5th Stealth, internal weapons bays, supercruise, full sensor fusion F-22, F-35, J-20, Su-57

What makes a fighter fifth-generation:

  • Stealth: a very low radar cross-section, achieved through airframe shaping, radar-absorbent materials and weapons carried inside the body.
  • Supercruise: flying at supersonic speed without afterburners.
  • Sensor fusion: data from radar, infrared and electronic sensors combined into one picture for the pilot.
  • Network-centric operation: sharing data with other aircraft and ground stations.

India's position: The IAF's front-line fleet includes the Su-30MKI, MiG-29, Mirage 2000, Rafale and Tejas, all fourth or 4.5 generation. India's fifth-generation programme is the Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft (AMCA). It is a twin-engine stealth fighter designed by the Aeronautical Development Agency (ADA) under DRDO. In March 2024 the Cabinet Committee on Security cleared its design and prototype development at about ₹15,000 crore. In 2025 the Raksha Mantri approved an execution model under which ADA will build it with an industry partner, with both public and private firms eligible to compete. The Tejas Mk-1A is an upgraded 4.5-generation version of Tejas, not a fifth-generation aircraft.

In the news

In March 2024 the Cabinet Committee on Security cleared design and development of the AMCA, India's planned fifth-generation stealth fighter. Tejas Mk-1A orders and the Rafale fleet were also in the news at the time. This made the generation of India's fighter fleet a likely Prelims topic in 2024.

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