In a major push towards building an indigenous stealth fighter jet, the Ministry of Defence on Wednesday issued Request for Proposals (RFPs) to three short-listed bidders — Larsen and Toubro-Bharat Electronics Limited, Tata Advanced Systems and Bharat Forge-BEML — for the development and production of five prototypes of the Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft (AMCA) at an estimated cost of ₹15,000 crore.
This would be the second fighter jet production facility in India besides that of Hindustan Aeronautics Limited.
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The AMCA will be powered by an American GE-414 engine and will be produced under the expertise of the Aeronautical Development Agency (ADA) of the DRDO.
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According to reports, the first prototype of the advanced 5th-generation fighter jet is expected by early 2027, with the first flight estimated to take place by 2029.
On May 15, this year, Union Minister Rajnath Singh and Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu laid the foundation stones for the Core Integration & Flight Testing Centre at Puttaparthi to fast-track the development of the fifth-generation Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft (AMCA) and other future indigenous platforms.
The total outlay for the AMCA programme is around Rs 15,000 crore, and the Core Integration & Flight Testing Centre of the Aeronautical Development Agency, an affiliate organisation of DRDO, is a vital component of the project.
The facility is being established at a cost of about Rs 2,000 crore.
A full-scale model of India’s first 5.5 generation stealth aircraft, the Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft (AMCA), equipped with cutting-edge features, was showcased at the India Pavilion at Aero India 2025 in February 2025.
The aircraft was designed by the Aeronautical Development Agency (ADA) for the use of the Indian Air Force (IAF).
With inputs from agencies.
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