ISTANBUL 

India has approved a program to build the country’s first advanced twin-engine 5th generation stealth fighter, the Defense Ministry said Tuesday.

Defense Minister Rajnath Singh approved the Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft (AMCA) program to strengthen India’s aerospace capabilities, according to a statement on X.

The program will be undertaken by the state-run Aeronautical Development Agency in collaboration with industry partners to leverage domestic expertise, skills and resources to build the AMCA prototype.

India, a traditional buyer of Russian military equipment, has over the years diversified its defense procurement, with an emphasis on domestically produced weaponry.

This year saw an increase of 9.5% in its annual budget at $78.70 billion, according to government data.

According to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute, India was one of the top five defense spenders globally, last year.​​​​​​​