Brother, I have a lot of hopes from the AMCA project, I feel India should undertake this project at any cost.
In the long run, an indigenous 5th gen project will be beneficial to our defense industry as well.
Hope isnt a bad thing and we all hope that one day AMCA will take on to the skies in IAF colors.
However lets say 2020, if they can give a 1st Prototype then its good or lets say 2025 its late, but sounds dissapointing.
1. 2014 the first engines for LCA 2 will arrive. By that time they need to complete the airframe changes and all designes required flr LCA to accomodate a 100 Kn engine. This will take a another year or two lets say 2016 to fly the LCA Mk2 and FOC is done..
2. the IAF has projected a True 5th Gen plane with an all aspect LO and stealth for AMCA, which tells me the parameters will be like F22 raptor coz PAKFA as of now or even F35 is not an all LO plane.
3. They want 3D thurst vectors, I dont know after GE being selected and EJ200 out who will give us the BD tech. we can eye on PAKFA or FGFA but thats not coming until 2017 as claimed, say 2018-19, so 2020. which is a good 10 years from now.
My pint is IAF will want AMCA then or straight away they will go for Aura..
If you fly a prototype by 2020 then 2025 is when you will get an IOC, which seems very far from now...
AMCA will sureely test our tech know how and produce a cheap and quality stuff for the world to know our advancement in Aviation. But looking at the time lines, I just hope that IAF doesnt change its mind.