There is simply no need for AMCA as it will not add up any new capability over FGFA.So without wasting the allready limited and over-streched human and financial resources,DRDO should concentrate on developing a turbofan powered HALE UCAV based on Rustam UAV and then move on to the next level aka AURA.As of now,the whole nautanki wrt AMCA seems to be just an waste of time and energy.I mean where is the need of a 2nd kind of stealth fighter,when we are gonna get the FGFA anyway??
For the same reason that we need rafales and MKIs together today. Former is in the medium weight category, latter in the heavy category. In future we will have FGFA in the heavy category, and our only stealth fighter int he medium category will be AMCA. The requirement for a medium weight stealth fighter will be felt very badly in about 15-20 years from now, when a large number of medium category aircrafts will have to retire - namely, the jags, mirages and mig 29s. It will be the AMCA that replaces them. Just like we are facing the imminent retirement of a large number of light fighters, and Tejas is delayed, we do not want another similar situation in future when all the said aircrafts have to retire. So it is best to work hard on the AMCA now, rather than start working when there is no more time. This is the perfect time to start work, since it will take 15 years to reach FOC stage, and by then we will have hundreds of medium fighters to be replaced.
Don't be deceived by the ignorant headline. The two aircrafts are not comparable, except that both are 5th gen. They are in different categories, and cannot substitute for each other.