HAL, Kalyani, Tata Advanced Systems, Adani, L&T step into Amca contest ring

Public and private sector firms vie to qualify for building prototypes of India's first indigenous stealth fighter jet

State-run Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd (HAL) and several private firms -- Bharat Forge Ltd, Tata Advanced Systems Ltd (TASL), Larsen & Toubro (L&T), and Adani Defence & Aerospace -- have responded to the Aeronautical Development Agency’s (ADA’s) expression of interest (EoI) for the Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft (Amca), India’s first indigenous stealth fighter jet, sources told Business Standard on Tuesday.

 

September 30 was the last date for responding to the EoI, issued in June by the Amca’s design agency -- the ADA, an autonomous body under the MoD -- to shortlist Indian entities capable of building prototypes of the stealth jet and supporting its testing and certification.

 

Noting that the EoI marks only the qualification stage, the sources said, on condition of anonymity, that once the responses are evaluated, the ADA will issue a request for quotation to build five Amca prototypes and one structural test specimen.

 

Bharat Forge Ltd, part of the Kalyani Group, is leading a consortium comprising BEML Ltd, a ‘Schedule A’ company under the Ministry of Defence (MoD), and private-sector defence and aerospace electronics firm Data Patterns (India) Ltd. A tripartite memorandum of understanding was signed between the companies to this effect last week.

 

Last week, L&T also announced a strategic partnership with state-run aerospace and defence electronics firm Bharat Electronics Ltd (BEL). Both companies will be participating in the EoI process as a consortium.

 

Meanwhile, TASL, the TATA Group’s aerospace and defence arm, has responded to the Amca EoI independently, sources said.

 

There was no clarity on whether Adani Defence & Aerospace, part of the Adani Group, and HAL have responded to the EoI independently, or as part of some consortium or joint venture (JV).

 

HAL declined to comment when asked about the matter.

 

The EoI followed the MoD’s late-May approval of an execution model that gives both private and public Indian defence firms equal opportunity to compete for the Amca programme -- whether independently, as JVs, or as consortia. This marks a departure from long-standing convention, and is seen as the first concrete opportunity to break HAL’s monopoly in combat aircraft manufacturing, potentially opening the door to a private-sector fighter jet producer.

 

Whichever entity wins the Amca prototype contract will be the natural choice for series production of the final platform, as indicated by the EoI, which requires shortlisted contenders to possess the capability to establish a manufacturing facility for the purpose.

 

The first flight of the Amca prototype is expected by the end of 2028 or 2029, a defence source had earlier told Business Standard. Series production is expected to begin around 2035, with the Indian Air Force likely to induct seven squadrons, totalling 126 Amca jets.