India’s Next-Gen AMCA Project Moves Ahead With Three Firms in Final Race
The Defence Ministry has issued a Request for Proposal for the indigenous Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft programme, signalling a key stage in India’s fifth-generation fighter jet plans. Officials said the Indian Air Force expects about 120 AMCA aircraft in the first phase, with prototype work and industrial partnerships now moving into a formal tender stage.
Three private-led consortiums have received the RFP, according to Defence officials. These groups are Larsen and Toubro with Bharat Electronics Limited, Tata Advanced Systems, and the Bharat Forge-BEML consortium. Hindustan Aeronautics Limited is not part of this development phase, marking a notable shift from several earlier Indian combat aircraft projects.
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Funding and timelines for Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft AMCA programme
The government has earmarked Rs 15,000 crore for the design, building and testing of AMCA prototypes. Officials expect overall expenditure to rise once full-scale manufacturing begins. Current planning suggests prototype development should finish by 2030. The first operational AMCA squadron is then planned to enter Indian Air Force service around 2035, following flight testing and certification.
The table below summarises key figures linked to the AMCA initiative and related infrastructure work.
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Prototype development allocation | Rs 15,000 crore |
| Planned initial IAF induction | About 120 aircraft |
| Prototype completion target year | 2030 |
| First squadron induction target year | 2035 |
| Puttaparthi infrastructure project value | About Rs 16,000 crore |
| Estimated jobs from infrastructure project | Nearly 7,500 |
Industrial and state projects under Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft AMCA programme
The Defence Ministry had earlier, in February, selected Tata Group, Larsen & Toubro and Bharat Forge to participate in the Advanced Multirole Combat Aircraft effort. That decision laid the base for the current RFP, which is meant to finalise which consortium will take on large parts of design support, production planning and future manufacturing responsibilities.
Linked to the same Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft programme, groundwork has begun on a defence infrastructure complex in the Puttaparthi region of Sri Sathya Sai district in Andhra Pradesh. Union Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu jointly launched this project, which carries an estimated value of about Rs 16,000 crore.
Authorities expect the Puttaparthi facility to generate nearly 7,500 jobs over time and boost local industry. Officials also describe the AMCA project itself as central to India’s long-term defence aviation plans, aiming to field a home-grown fifth-generation stealth fighter while building more self-reliance and technical depth in domestic defence production.
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