India has taken a decisive step towards reshaping its military aerospace industry, opening the country’s ambitious Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft (AMCA) programme to private players in what could become the biggest structural shift in Indian fighter jet manufacturing since Independence.
In a landmark decision, the Defence Ministry has issued the request for proposal for the AMCA — India’s first indigenous fifth-generation stealth fighter — while notably keeping state-owned Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) out of the prototype competition phase.
Instead, three private-sector contenders have emerged as frontrunners for the Rs 15,000 crore programme: Tata Advanced Systems, a consortium led by L&T-BEL-Dynamatic Technologies, and another led by Bharat Forge, BEML and Data Patterns. The selected company or consortium will work with the Aeronautical Development Agency (ADA) and DRDO to build five flying prototypes and one structural test aircraft at a new greenfield aerospace complex in Andhra Pradesh’s Puttaparthi.
The decision marks the first time India has opened a frontline fighter aircraft programme of this scale entirely to private competition during the development stage — a role historically dominated by HAL.
For decades, HAL remained the centrepiece of India’s military aviation production ecosystem, handling everything from fighter assembly to upgrades and licensed manufacturing. But the AMCA decision signals growing confidence within the government that private industry must now play a far larger role in advanced aerospace development.
Officials involved in the programme say the move is intended to accelerate timelines, improve industrial efficiency and deepen indigenous capabilities in cutting-edge defence technologies. The government is fully funding the prototype phase of the project, while the private partner will execute development in coordination with ADA and DRDO engineers.
The AMCA programme itself sits at the heart of India’s long-term air combat ambitions. The stealth fighter is expected to eventually form the backbone of the Indian Air Force’s future combat fleet as older fourth-generation aircraft begin retiring over the coming decades.
The aircraft is likely to feature low-observable stealth shaping, advanced radar-absorbing coatings, internal weapons bays and network-centric combat capabilities comparable to fifth-generation platforms operated by the United States, China and Russia.
If successfully developed and inducted, the AMCA would place India among a very small group of nations capable of designing and producing operational fifth-generation stealth fighters. Currently, only the United States, China and Russia field such aircraft — including the F-22, F-35, J-20 and Su-57 platforms.
According to programme details, the AMCA is expected to be a twin-engine, single-seat stealth fighter capable of operating at altitudes up to 55,000 feet. It is projected to carry weapons internally to preserve stealth characteristics while also supporting additional external payloads when required.
Source: India Latest News, Breaking News Today, Top News Headlines | Times Now
