Image source: topwar.ru
"Product 177C"
India is implementing a program to create a new generation fighter AMCA. Russia is offering its assistance in such a difficult task by coming up with the idea of jointly developing a new modification of the 177C product engine, which will have a flat nozzle.
- says the local edition of IDRW.
As noted, the "product 177C" is a 5th generation engine containing components from the improved AL-51 ("product 30") being developed for the Russian Su-57.
- the author believes.
The most important component of the AMCA program is the engine, which must balance thrust, stealth, and efficiency. Currently, it is planned to install an F414 powerplant from General Electric (thrust 98 kN) on the initial samples (AMCA Mark 1). At the same time, the country's Air Force has long been looking for a more powerful engine of its own or joint development in the range of 110-130 kN for the Mark 2 variant, which will give the car super-cruising speed and improved performance.
Image source: topwar.ru
Flat nozzle engine
- the author believes.
If the "product 177C" gets a flat nozzle, like the F-22 Raptor, this will reduce the aircraft's EPR and infrared signature by changing the characteristics of the exhaust jet, as the two-dimensional design dissipates heat more efficiently and aligns the flow of gases with the aircraft body, minimizing the possibility of its detection by enemy sensors.
- indicated in the publication.
According to the author, possible delays in the creation of the engine could disrupt the deadlines for the AMCA program, which is already aimed at 2032-35, and increase India's dependence on Russian technologies at a time when diversification is a priority for New Delhi.
According to him, "the stakes are high for India." On the one hand, the flat nozzle can improve the stealth profile of the AMCA, which is a critical advantage against opponents such as the Chinese J-20 and J-36. On the other hand, the French company Safran has proposed the joint development of a 110 kN engine, while the United States can offer F-35 technology "if the stars come together in geopolitics."
