I think the problem with the MII is that the government is demanding both indigenization and cutting edge technology at the same time. I mean a project like AMCA still seems a tad far-fetched given the maturity of our defence industry. Honestly, we might have been better off partnering with an established manufacturer, although who I don't know. Maybe the French could have helped us. It's like we're trying to go from 20 to a 100 in one go which might lead to TEDBF and AMCA being quite late to the game given our history of delays. I mean Western nations and maybe even China will be rolling out sixth-gen prototypes by the time we're done completing AMCA.
HAL has done a great job with the LCH Prachand but that came after a couple of decades of designing and manufacturing helicopters. They set realistic goals and made iterative improvements. Even the latest models of the LCH have small design improvements compared to a couple of years ago if I'm not wrong. I noticed newer dust covers and different antennae placement. The rear wings were changed a little earlier and the aerofoil over the rear wheel was added. Overall, the airframe is a lot cleaner and I'm sure there were a lot of trial and error improvements made on the cockpit and user interface.
This is why IN shines through in comparison to IAF and IA. Our boats might not be fully indigenous but we took help from our partners. Israel with Barak 8 and MF-STAR. Made incremental improvements to stealth, sometimes even between ships of the same class. Another example of an Indian organisation doing thngs this way is Indian Railways and associated factories. The Vande Bharat just came out, I believe around 300-400 will be built and then comes Mk2 and a Mk3 is reportedly planned to be built predominantly out of aluminium. It's not that government sponsored manufacturers don't make solid products, it's just that there are only a handful of them. We can definitely make decent hardware even if it's not as falshy as say similar stuff from China, Germany, France, Japan, The United States etc., but that's totally understandable given our limited budgets/resources.
AMCA is being developed after ADA showed IAF they have the ability to do it. The first version of AMCA was a much simpler aircraft, with frontal stealth, a standard F414 engine, no supercruise etc. Once feasibility studies were completed, the IAF put their money on AMCA and it climbed up to what it is today. The IAF will have backup plans in case of delays or failure.
As for competing with the Chinese, we do not need to match their development speed. The difference between 5th and 6th gen is not a lot, both types use the same class of engines, a turbofan. So the real differences will boil down to avionics and the combat cloud, including the capabilities of the accompanying drones.
While the IN has been historically ahead in terms of indigenisation, it's still an unfair comparison because all three forces are struggling with low amounts of indigenisation in pretty much the same areas, that's propulsion and firepower. The IN's only real indigenisation success has been in developing ship hulls, and this does not matter to the IA and IAF. Otoh, the IN is struggling with indigenising weapons, the same as the IA and IAF. In fact, due to recent developments, the IAF has taken the lead in terms of indigenisation due to the success of defence electronics. In 5 years, the IA will catch up with the IAF, whereas the IN will be the last to fully indigenise, the sticking point being propulsion.
Divide things into three categories; hull/airframe/platform/prime mover, weapons and engines. At this time, all three have achieved indigenisation in the first category; LCA/AMCA's airframe, tank and IFV hull designs, truck designs and ship hull designs. In terms of weapons and associated electronics like radar, the IAF has taken the lead, and IN and IA are close behind. The IA needs 2 more years to catch up, SAMs, artillery guns, upgrade programs for armoured vehicles etc. In about 5 years, all three should be on par with each other. The last is engines; the IAF has seen some success via Kaveri, and we should get something out of the engine JV. The IA's engines have seen some movement as well, we have indigenised foreign engines, and we will pretty soon get our own homemade engine for armoured vehicles. But the IN is dependent on the success of IAF programs first, Kaveri and the engine JV for example.
With the success of the Uttam radar and associated weapons like Astra, along with Kaveri being used in the IUSAV, and the LCA, the IAF has taken the lead. The IA is a close second with the Arjun, artillery and FICV. The IN still needs new air defence designs for future ships, so that's where they are at right now. The IN's propulsion goals need work, both conventional like gas turbines, diesel engines, AIP, electricity, steam and nuclear. They have seen some success in steam and nuclear via the SSBN and SSN programs, but it's not enough.
