UPSC Essentials | Mains answer practice

UPSC Essentials | Mains answer practice — GS 3 (Week 42)

UPSC Essentials brings to you its initiative for the practice of Mains answer writing. It covers essential topics of static and dynamic parts of the UPSC Civil Services syllabus covered under various GS papers. This answer-writing practice is designed to help you as a value addition to your UPSC CSE Mains. Attempt today’s answer writing on questions related to topics of GS-3 to check your progress.

Discuss about India’s indigenous fifth-gen fighter jet Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft (AMCA). Why it is important?

What is MethaneSAT? What are the features of MethaneSAT? Discuss the need to track and measure methane emissions.

Introduction

— The introduction of the answer is essential and should be restricted to 3-5 lines. Remember, a one-liner is not a standard introduction.

— It may consist of basic information by giving some definitions from the trusted source and authentic facts.

Body

— It is the central part of the answer and one should understand the demand of the question to provide rich content.

— The answer must be preferably written as a mix of points and short paragraphs rather than using long paragraphs or just points.

— Using facts from authentic government sources makes your answer more comprehensive. Analysis is important based on the demand of the question, but do not over analyse.

— Underlining keywords gives you an edge over other candidates and enhances presentation of the answer.

— Using flowcharts/tree-diagram in the answers saves much time and boosts your score. However, it should be used logically and only where it is required.

Way forward/ conclusion

— The ending of the answer should be on a positive note and it should have a forward-looking approach. However, if you feel that an important problem must be highlighted, you may add it in your conclusion. Try not to repeat any point from body or introduction.

— You may use the findings of reports or surveys conducted at national and international levels, quotes etc. in your answers.

Self Evaluation

— It is the most important part of our Mains answer writing practice. UPSC Essentials will provide some guiding points or ideas as a thought process that will help you to evaluate your answers.

QUESTION 1: Discuss about India’s indigenous fifth-gen fighter jet Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft (AMCA). Why it is important?

Introduction:

— The Aeronautical Development Agency (ADA) under the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) will be the nodal agency for executing the programme and designing the aircraft.

— Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL), the state-owned company, will manufacture it.

— The aircraft will place India in a small handful of countries that have their own fifth-generation fighter aircraft.

Body:

You may incorporate some of the following points in the body of your answer:

Features of AMCA

— The 25-tonne twin-engine aircraft, which will be bigger than other fighters in the Indian Air Force inventory, will have advanced stealth features to avoid detection by enemy radar.

— The aircraft will have a large, concealed internal fuel tank of 6.5-tonne capacity, and an internal weapons bay for a range of weapons, including indigenous weapons, to be buried in its belly.

— The AMCA Mk1 variant will have the US-built GE414 engine of the 90 kilonewton (kN) class, while the more advanced AMCA Mk2 will fly on the more powerful 110kN engine, which will be developed indigenously by DRDO’s Gas Turbine Research Establishment (GTRE) in collaboration with a foreign defence major.

— Diverterless supersonic inlet for controlling air flow into the engines.

Why it is important?

— The initial plan was to jointly develop the aircraft with Russia under a Fifth Generation Fighter Aircraft (FGFA) programme. However, India withdrew from the FGFA project in 2018.

— The AMCA will be India’s indigenous fifth-generation fighter aircraft. The indigenous Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) Tejas is a 4.5-generation single-engine multirole aircraft.

— The aircraft will have a low electro-magnetic signature, which will make it difficult for enemy radar to detected it.

— Fifth-generation aircraft like AMCA have stealth features like an internal weapons storage and a larger internal fuel tank. A maximum of four 1,500 kg long-range air-to-air missiles and many precision-guided munitions can be transported within the internal weapons bay.

— The special material that will be used on the aircraft surface will divert the radar signature instead of reflecting it back.

— It would ensure a higher utilisation time and smaller serviceability or maintenance periods for the aircraft.

Conclusion:

— The Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) cleared a Rs 15,000 crore project to design and develop the Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft (AMCA), India’s fifth-generation fighter multirole fighter jet.

— Dr Krishna Rajendra Neeli, project director of AMCA at ADA, said the aircraft would be on par or even superior to other fifth-generation stealth fighter aircraft in use globally.

(Source: All about India’s indigenous fifth-gen fighter jet Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft (AMCA), and why it is important by Amrita Nayak Dutta)

Points to Ponder

Cabinet Committee on Security

Aeronautical Development Agency

Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft (AMCA)