In a significant push towards enhancing India’s indigenous defence capabilities and fostering a robust domestic aerospace industrial ecosystem, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Tuesday has approved the Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft (AMCA) Programme Execution Model.
The Aeronautical Development Agency (ADA) is set to execute the programme through industry partnership.
"The Execution Model approach provides equal opportunities to both private and public sectors on a competitive basis. They can bid either independently or as joint ventures or as consortia. The entity/bidder should be an Indian company compliant with the laws and regulations of the country," read the ministry of defence statement. "This is an important step towards harnessing the indigenous expertise, capability and capacity to develop the AMCA prototype, which will be a major milestone towards Aatmanirbharta in the aerospace sector."
The approval and the EoI are the first steps towards developing the AMCA prototype.
What is Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft?
AMCA, or Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft, is a fifth-generation, stealth, multi-role fighter jet being developed in India for the Indian Air Force and Navy.
In March 2024, the Cabinet Committee on Security approved the full-scale engineering development of five AMCA prototypes at an estimated cost of over Rs 15,000 crore. While the AMCA is designed to feature advanced sensor fusion, stealth capabilities like an internal weapons bay, and “serpentine air-intake,” production is currently slated for no earlier than 2035.
According to government sources cited by a March 2024 ANI report, around five prototypes will be built within five years.
These prototypes will be manufactured by industry partners, including the public sector unit Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL).
“This journey began only in 2024, when the Cabinet Committee on Security sanctioned the project. It will take ten years, and we have committed to delivering the platform by 2035," DRDO Chairman Samir V Kamat had earlier said.
The Indian Air Force (IAF) is reportedly operating with around 30 active fighter squadrons, significantly less than its authorised strength of 42. This shortfall is attributed to an aging fleet, delayed inductions of new aircraft, and the phasing out of older models.
Currently, HAL outsources significant portions of work for fighter jets to private companies such L&T, Godrej, and Azad Engineering. Among private players, the Tata Group has some experience in aircraft integration, working with Airbus on assembling C-295 transport aircraft in India.
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