Adani Defence & Aerospace has joined hands with Hyderabad-based MTAR Technologies to bid for the contract to design and build the prototype of India’s first stealth fighter jet, the Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft (AMCA), which is a project valued at around Rs 15,000 crore, according to market sources tracking the company.
However, an Adani spokesperson refused to comment, confirm or deny the development.
Key customers of MTAR Technologies include the Nuclear Power Corporation of India, the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) and the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO). MTAR has supplied propulsion and electro-pneumatic subsystems for ISRO’s Chandrayaan-2 and Mangalyaan missions as well as executed complex assemblies for DRDO, including those used in the Agni series of missiles.
Earlier, the Bangalore-based Aeronautical Development Agency (ADA), which is responsible for the AMCA programme, had floated an expression of interest (EoI) in June to identify Indian companies capable of developing and testing prototypes of the fighter jet. The deadline for submission of proposals was September 30, and seven applicant companies or consortiums are reported to have responded to the EoI floated by the ADA.
Besides Adani Defence and MTAR Technologies, other applicants which responded to ADA’s EoI include public sector defence undertaking Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL), which has handled production of Tejas aircraft, Tata Advanced Systems (TASL), Bharat Forge, Larsen & Toubro (L&T), Axiscades Technologies, Goodluck India and Thiruvananthapuram-based BrahMos Aerospace. All applicants have either applied individually or as part of consortiums formed to qualify for the EoI.
Bharat Forge has formed a consortium with BEML and Data Patterns, while L&T has tied up with Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL) and TASL submitted its application independently.
After evaluation of EoI responses, the next stage will be a request for quotation (RFQ) to build five prototypes of the AMCA and one structural test specimen. The Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) and ADA will shortlist the companies, based on their technical capability, financial stability and technology transfer potential.
The first flight of the AMCA prototype is expected around 2028 or 2029. Series production is projected to begin by 2035, with the Indian Air Force (IAF) expected to induct about 126 aircraft across seven IAF fighter aircraft squadrons.