India Prepares to Build 6th-Generation Fighter Jets with AI, Hypersonics and Directed-Energy Weapons

India is gearing up to enter the elite club of nations working on sixth-generation fighter aircraft, with the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) confirming that the country has the technological base to launch such a program.

K. Rajalakshmi Menon, Director General of Aeronautical Systems at DRDO, stated that India is ready to move beyond fifth-generation capabilities and explore advanced technologies that will define air warfare in the coming decades.

The upcoming fighters are expected to integrate:

• Artificial Intelligence (AI) for autonomous combat functions and human-machine teaming,
• Directed-Energy Weapons (DEWs) to counter missiles and aircraft at long range,
• Hypersonic strike systems for unmatched offensive reach, and
• Enhanced stealth and sensor fusion to dominate future battlefields.

India has already demonstrated significant progress in hypersonic missile development and high-end avionics, laying the foundation for the new fighter initiative. According to officials, this effort will be an indigenous program, supported by India’s growing aerospace ecosystem and aligned with the government’s Atmanirbhar Bharat vision.

While the project is at a conceptual stage, defence experts believe that India’s pursuit of a sixth-generation platform will ensure long-term air superiority, especially as global powers like the US, Russia, and China accelerate their own next-gen fighter programs.

This development highlights India’s determination to remain at the forefront of military aviation, combining cutting-edge research with strategic self-reliance.