New Delhi: In what marks a major structural shift in India’s fighter aircraft ecosystem, the Aeronautical Development Agency (ADA) has issued a Request for Proposal (RFP) to three shortlisted bidders, all private firms, for the development of prototypes for the country’s 5th generation fighter, the Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft (AMCA).
State-run Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) has been kept out of the bidding process. The TATA group has entered as a solo bidder, followed by a Bharat Forge-led consortium with DPSU BEML and private firm Data Patterns (India); and another consortium led by private firm L&T, with DPSU Bharat Electronics Ltd (BEL) and private firm Dynamatics Technologies.
The winning bid will be selected based on technical evaluation of the bid and the bid price.
This shift marks an opportunity for the country’s private defence sector to transition from being suppliers and vendors to playing a central role in the country’s most ambitious combat aircraft programme. The first flight is expected to be 30 months from the date of contract signing.
Incidentally, among the companies in the fray, only TATA has the experience of setting up a final assembly line which they have done for the C-295 transport aircraft, in partnership with Airbus.
Other firms, including TATA, have experience of making components, wings and fuselage for various foreign original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) besides for the Tejas programme.
Going by the current timeline, the five prototypes of India’s own fifth-generation fighter are set to be rolled out by 2031.
The first prototype is expected to be rolled out by 2029 using the GE F414 engine.
The IAF plans to have seven squadrons of the AMCA, starting 2035, when the series production will begin.
The Request for Proposal lays out a completely new industrial structure for India’s fifth-generation stealth fighter programme.
It seeks the development of five AMCA flying prototypes and one structural test specimen besides associated tooling, jigs, fixtures and testing infrastructure.
The RFP document says the programme will continue to remain under the design control of ADA, which retains ownership over the aircraft’s configuration and architecture. But, the selected bidder will be responsible for end-to-end realisation of the prototypes, including manufacturing, assembly, systems integration, infrastructure creation and support during flight testing and certification.
The selected bidder will have to establish manufacturing infrastructure, tooling and associated test facilities besides integrating Line Replaceable Units (LRUs) sourced through multiple channels, including equipment supplied directly by ADA and systems procured through ADA-nominated vendors. The winning bidder will also support ground testing, structural testing, flight testing and certification activities, including troubleshooting and defect rectification during the developmental phase.
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New company, no foreign control
The RFP says that the winning bidder will have to incorporate a completely new company within three months of selection upon which the contract will eventually be placed. The new company cannot have foreign shareholding beyond passive institutional investments permitted under Indian regulations and must remain under the ownership and control of resident Indian citizens.
The RFP specifically mandates that management and control of the company must vest exclusively with resident Indians, including Board of Directors and key managerial positions such as the Chief Executive Officer, Chief Financial Officer and Chief Operating Officer.
Shift from traditional HAL-centric structure
This approach to AMCA development marks a significant departure from India’s traditional military aviation model dominated by HAL.
For decades, HAL remained central to fighter aircraft manufacturing and integration programmes, with private industry largely confined to supply-chain roles. The AMCA model, however, distributes manufacturing and systems integration responsibilities across industry while ADA retains design authority.
This would essentially mean that the country will have a second assembly line for fighter aircraft besides the Tejas under the HAL.
The RFP also mandates that the selected bidder must participate in future contractual processes related to series production and Repair and Overhaul (RoH) activities after successful completion of the prototype phase.
This clause indicates that the project is a long-term industrial partnership rather than a standalone prototype contract.
Complex programme, high stakes
The AMCA programme remains among India’s most technologically ambitious defence projects. The selected bidder will not merely fabricate aircraft structures but also manage integration and interface compatibility across multiple onboard systems and avionics supplied through different channels—one of the most difficult aspects of modern fighter aircraft development.
The programme also includes responsibility for maintenance support, documentation and periodic upkeep of prototypes throughout the testing phase.
The RFP further makes clear that all infrastructure, tooling and testing facilities developed under the programme will have to be maintained by the bidder for the duration specified in the contract.
It states that the technical proposals will first be evaluated by a Techno Commercial Evaluation Committee constituted by ADA, following which the financial bids of technically qualified bidders will be opened, as was reported by ThePrint earlier.
(Edited by Amrtansh Arora)
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