By A Correspondent

New Delhi: In a decisive move to accelerate India’s fifth-generation fighter jet ambitions, two top government panels are set to assess the technical and industrial capabilities of seven leading defence companies competing for the Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft (AMCA) programme.

The evaluations, officials confirmed, mark a key milestone in the country’s quest for a homegrown stealth fighter.

The first round of scrutiny will be undertaken by a committee comprising senior officials from the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO). Their findings will subsequently be reviewed by a higher-level panel chaired by the Defence Secretary.

The process is aimed at selecting the most capable partner to build five prototypes and one structural test specimen of the AMCA.

The firms in the fray include state-owned Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) in partnership with two smaller firms, Tata Advanced Systems Limited, Adani Defence and Aerospace, Larsen & Toubro (L&T) with Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL), Goodluck India with BrahMos Aerospace Thiruvananthapuram Limited and Axiscades Technologies, and Bharat Forge Limited, collaborating with BEML Ltd and Data Patterns.

These contenders responded to an Expression of Interest (EoI) floated in June 2025 by DRDO’s Aeronautical Development Agency (ADA), which is executing the AMCA programme through an industry-led model.

The EoI seeks partners capable of building prototypes, supporting flight tests, and establishing a production line for the stealth fighter.

The evaluation process is expected to conclude within a month, following which the government will issue a Request for Quotation (RFQ) and proceed to negotiations with the selected firm. The contract will cover development, flight testing, and certification, expected to be completed within eight years.

According to the current timeline, the first AMCA prototype is slated to fly in 2029, with development wrapping up by 2034. Series production is expected to commence soon after, with the Indian Air Force (IAF) targeting induction around 2035.

The urgency behind the AMCA project stems from rapid advancements in regional airpower. China has already deployed its J-20 fifth-generation fighter, is rolling out the carrier-based J-35 — potentially available to Pakistan — and is developing two next-generation platforms, the J-36 and J-50.

The Cabinet Committee on Security, headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, had earlier sanctioned INR 15,000 crore for AMCA’s design and prototype development. The IAF’s modernisation roadmap envisions six AMCA squadrons, or roughly 120 jets.

US-made F-414 engines will power the initial two squadrons of AMCA Mk1. The subsequent Mk2 variants will feature a new 120-kilonewton engine developed jointly by France’s Safran and DRDO’s Gas Turbine Research Establishment (GTRE), with full transfer of technology and intellectual property rights to India.

The Safran-GTRE joint effort is expected to produce nine prototype engines within 12 years, marking a landmark in indigenous propulsion capability.

With the IAF currently operating around 30 fighter squadrons — well below its authorised strength of 42.5 — the AMCA project represents both a strategic and technological imperative.

Alongside the ongoing production of 180 Light Combat Aircraft (LCA Mk1A) jets, the AMCA aims to secure India’s air superiority in the decades ahead and reinforce the vision of Atmanirbhar Bharat (self-reliant India) in defence manufacturing.

NOTE: Follow Defence.Capital on Arattai.
NOTE: Follow Defence.Capital on Telegram.
NOTE: Follow Defence.Capital on WhatsApp.