India faces a sequencing problem that the committee's report brings into focus. The indigenous AMCA is still in its design phase, so India's fifth-generation capability lies some years away, while the leading air forces have already moved to sixth-generation development through consortia. Joining an established programme such as FCAS would preserve access to advanced air combat technology without waiting for a domestic sixth-generation project to mature; developing everything indigenously preserves autonomy but risks a widening capability gap. In the interim, the Indian Air Force has prioritised upgrading its Su-30MKI fleet, which forms a major part of its inventory, and is separately considering a French proposal for 114 Rafale aircraft estimated at ₹3.25 lakh crore. The committee's demand for a defined trajectory reflects precisely this tension between indigenous development, foreign partnership and near-term procurement.