India invites private firms to build AMCA stealth fighter in major defence shift
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India has issued the request for proposal for the Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft, marking a major shift in the country’s defence manufacturing strategy by opening a fighter jet programme to private companies for the first time.
The Defence Ministry has invited bids from three private sector contenders for the Rs 15,000 crore project to build prototypes of India’s first indigenous fifth-generation stealth fighter jet.
State-owned Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd has been excluded from the competition.
The shortlisted contenders are Tata Advanced Systems, the L&T-BEL-Dynamatic consortium, and the Bharat Forge-BEML-Data Patterns consortium.
Under the project, the selected private partner will work with the Aeronautical Development Agency and the Defence Research and Development Organisation to build five flying prototypes and one structural test aircraft.
The prototypes will be developed at a new 650-acre greenfield facility in Puttaparthi, Andhra Pradesh.
The government will fully fund the Rs 15,000 crore prototype development programme.
The Aeronautical Development Agency and DRDO had invited expressions of interest for the project in 2025. Seven firms initially submitted bids before three were shortlisted after technical evaluation earlier this year.
The selected company is expected to be finalised between January and March 2027 after detailed bids are submitted over the next few months.
Officials expect the first prototype flight between 2028 and 2032, while the aircraft is likely to enter service after 2035.
Once inducted, India would join a small group of countries operating fifth-generation fighter jets, including the United States, China, and Russia.
The AMCA is expected to be a twin-engine, single-seat stealth fighter with internal weapons bays and advanced stealth technology similar to aircraft such as the F-22, F-35, and Su-57.
The aircraft is expected to have an operational ceiling of 55,000 feet and carry 1,500 kg of weapons internally, along with additional external payload capacity and fuel storage.