In a major step in developing an indigenous fifth generation fighter aircraft, the Aeronautical Development Agency has issued an invitation for ‘Expression of Interest’ from companies around the world for the development of Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft. This comes just 3 weeks after the defence ministry approved APCA Programme Execution Model through partnership with public and private industry.
As per the notification issued by ADA, “the Objective of this EOI is to short list Indian Companies (owned & controlled by resident Indian citizens) who are technically capable for the Development, building of Prototypes, supporting Flight Test and Certification of AMCA. The applicant may be a Single Company, Joint Venture or a Consortium of companies, compliant with all applicable Indian Laws & Regulations. It should also demonstrate experience and competence to execute projects of comparable technical complexity and scale.”
ADA states that the applicant companies should have the “capability to absorb the design of AMCA and have adequate experience in the field of Development & Engineering, Manufacturing, Integration, Fabrication, Testing, Quality Management, Customer Support etc. with a manufacturing facility or strategic tieups with another Supplier with up a manufacturing facility for series production.”
The ADA states that “all participating entities will be assessed based on the eligibility criteria and the evaluation matrix provided in the EOI document.”
Aeronautical Development Agency (ADA) invites Expression of Interest (EOl) for Development of the indigenous fifth generation fighter jet Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft (AMCA) with the objective to short list Indian Companies (owned & controlled by resident Indian citizens) who… pic.twitter.com/AvHeCYdHuD
— ANI (@ANI) June 18, 2025
The duration of the contract for Development, Prototyping, Flight Test and Certification of AMCA shall not exceed eight years from the effective date of contract. A pre-Expression of Interest meeting will be held in the 1st week of July 2025 for clarifications. The deadline for submissions is 16 August 2025.
As per the current roadmap of the fifth generation stealth fighter, the first prototype is expected to take flight by 2029. Full development should be completed up by 2034, with production likely to begin a year later. As per DRDO, HAL will complete manufacturing the current orders for Tejas Mark-1 and Tejas Mark-2 jets.
The shortlisted entity will need to set up a dedicated manufacturing facility to support eventual mass production of the AMCA. Several major companies are expected to submit bids, including Tata Advanced Systems, Larsen & Toubro, Adani Defence and Aerospace, and the Mahindra Group. HAL will also be a contender, but it will have to compete with private entities, and its participation in eventual production is not guaranteed.
Like Tejas LCA, AMCA is also being developed in two phases. The Mark-1 version will be powered by American GE F-414 engine, which will also power Tejas Mark-2. AMCA Mark-2 is planned to be powered by an indigenous engine, and will be a sixth-generation aircraft.
