The prospective engine for the new Indian AMCA fighter jet could achieve up to 145 kN of thrust. With two such engines installed, the aircraft would have approximately 290 kN of total thrust, placing it in the same class as heavy Russian fighters like the Su-35 and Su-57 in terms of this parameter. This scenario was considered by IDRW in light of plans to create a new Indian power plant.
British Rolls-Royce and Indian Reliance Industries intend to develop the engine for the AMCA program. The companies announced plans to jointly create the engine and organize its development, production, and testing in India.
For comparison, two Su-35 engines provide about 284 kN of total thrust. The Su-57 also uses engines of a comparable power class. Therefore, the estimated 290 kN for a pair of prospective AMCA engines falls roughly within the same range as the power plants of Russian heavy fighters.
Such thrust allows the AMCA to be considered a large twin-engine aircraft with a maximum take-off weight of approximately 33–35 tons. Depending on fuel reserves, armament, and range requirements, this figure can be either lower or higher. For a future sixth-generation fighter, high thrust is especially important due to the need to simultaneously carry a significant fuel reserve, armament, and equipment for stealth.
For now, 145 kN and 290 kN remain estimated figures, not characteristics of a finished engine or a production aircraft. But if Rolls-Royce and Reliance can bring the power plant to this level, India will gain an engine base that, in terms of thrust, will allow the creation of heavy combat aircraft comparable in scale to the Su-35 and Su-57.