New Delhi: In a move which is the the first of its kind towards making a fifth generation stealth fighter aircraft, the government took a significant step toward indigenising its combat aviation industry, with the Ministry of Defence issuing a request for proposal (RFP), inviting private companies to manufacture prototypes of the Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft (AMCA).
The Aeronautical Development Agency (ADA), operating under the ministry of defence, has called on pre-qualified bidders to build five flying prototypes and one structural test specimen of the AMCA, a twin-engine, medium-weight, multi-role, low-observable aircraft being developed to meet Indian Air Force (IAF) requirements.
According to the RFP, the winning bidder will be required to set up manufacturing infrastructure, integrate advanced systems, support flight testing, and ultimately position itself as the backbone of the country’s future combat aircraft production.
The AMCA is India’s answer to fifth-generation fighters such as the American F-35 Raptor, the Chinese J-35, and Russia’s Su-57.
The aircraft is designed to incorporate stealth characteristics through radar-absorbing materials and structures and the aircraft is envisaged as a twin-engine platform capable of carrying weapons internally — a hallmark of low-observable design — while performing multiple roles across air superiority and ground attack missions.
Development of the AMCA has been led by ADA, the same Bengaluru-based agency that designed the Tejas light combat aircraft. While the Tejas was built primarily by Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL), a state-owned company, the AMCA programme marks a departure: the government is seeking a private sector partner to manufacture the prototypes, signalling a broader policy shift toward opening defence production to Indian private industry.
The selected industry partner will be responsible for an end-to-end realisation of the prototypes, including manufacturing aerostructures, assembling and integrating avionics, propulsion, hydraulic, fuel, electrical, and flight control systems, and establishing test facilities and ground support infrastructure.
The AMCA programme is structured around 14 mandatory and indicative contractual milestones spanning 84 months — seven years — from the date of the purchase order.
The last date for submission of the bid is July 27, 2026.
As per the RFP, the delivery of the first prototype’s structural modules and first flight should be done by 30 months while all the five prototypes flying by 64 months from date of purchase order.
The completion of 1,800 flight test sorties should be by 84 months.
Notably, the winning bidder will be required to incorporate an entirely new company within three months of being declared the winner.
The AMCA programme carries considerable strategic weight. The IAF currently operates a mix of ageing Soviet-era MiG-29s — alongside Sukhoi Su-30MKIs, Rafales, Mirage 2000s, and the indigenous Tejas Mk1A.
The service has long flagged a declining squadron strength, with the sanctioned number of 42 squadrons having shrunk to roughly 30.
A fifth-generation aircraft of AMCA’s intended capability would place India in a small club of nations able to design and produce such platforms. However, the programme has faced years of delays in funding approvals and design maturation.
In a landmark move for India’s defence industry, the government issued the request for proposal (RFP) for the Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft, or AMCA, the country’s first homegrown fifth-generation stealth fighter.
For the first time in a major fighter jet programme, the Defence Ministry has kept out state-owned Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd (HAL) and invited three private players: Tata Advanced Systems, the L&T-BEL-Dynamatic consortium, and the Bharat Forge-BEML-Data Patterns consortium.
The Rs 15,000 crore project will see the winning private partner build five prototypes of the AMCA at a new greenfield facility in Andhra Pradesh.
This is historic as it opens fighter jet manufacturing to the private sector in India and promises faster development. It also strengthens India’s push for self-reliance in cutting-edge aerospace technology.
The government is fully funding the Rs 15,000 crore project to build the AMCA prototype. The winning private partner will, however, have to work with the Aeronautical Development Agency (ADA) under the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) in building five flying prototypes and one structural test aircraft. This work will be done at the new 650-acre facility in Andhra Pradesh’s Puttaparthi.
The ADA and DRDO had issued an expression of interest on the stealth fighter jet project in mid 2025 and seven players had sent in bids. After technical evaluation in February, the three private players were shortlisted.
They have two-three months to submit detailed bids; the ‘L1’ selection and contract award are expected to be completed by January-March 2027, with the first prototype flight expected between 2028 and 2032. It may enter service after 2035 with series production at the new facility.
Once it is inducted, India will join an exclusive list of countries with fifth-generation fighters. As of May 2025, only the US (F-22 and F-35), China (J-20) and Russia (Su-57) have these.
The AMCA is likely to be a single-seat, twin-engine jet with advanced stealth coatings and internal weapons bays like those on US and Russian planes – the F-22, F-35, and Su-57. It is expected to have an operational ceiling of 55,000 feet and carry 1,500 kg in weapons in internal bays, with 5,500 kg more externally. The AMCA will likely carry a further 6,500 kg in fuel.
