India's biggest military research and development programme is up for grabs, with the defence ministry clearing a competitive model involving domestic private and public sector companies to make next-generation fighter jets.
The ambitious Advanced Multirole Combat Aircraft (AMCA) programme will see the development of a new fifth generation fighter jet that will become India's mainstay aerial platform from the mid-2030s.
Defence minister Rajnath Singh unveiled a new approach to large defence research and development projects by clearing a model on Tuesday that will see a competition between private and public sector companies to work with the government-owned Aeronautical Development Agency (ADA) that is designing the fighter jet.
Leading contenders for the programme - initially estimated at ₹15,000 crore but expected to amount to lakhs of crores after the prototype is cleared for induction - will include Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd (HAL), Tata Advanced Systems Ltd (TASL) and Adani Defence. India's largest defence company, Larsen and Toubro (L&T), is also likely to be qualified to bid.
As per the execution model, Indian companies, either alone or as part of a consortium, will be invited to bid to become part of the programme that will first see development of prototypes and then serial production of AMCA jets. In the first batch, 120 fighter jets are expected to be ordered, with deliveries expected to start by 2035. The number is expected to go up significantly in the coming years as more advanced variants are developed.
"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 or bidder should be an Indian company compliant with the laws and regulations of the country," an official said.
While HAL was widely expected to be a part of the programme given its inherent capabilities, the government has decided that a competitive process will harness the potential of the larger industrial base in the country. ADA will shortly issue an expression of interest (EoI) for the AMCA development phase and it is expected that two-three consortiums will emerge as bidders. EoI will determine which companies can take part in the competition as it will define technical and financial criteria.
The new jets will feature the latest military technologies, including stealth features, integration of artificial intelligence, long-range targeting capabilities and the ability to jointly operate with unmanned systems. As per plans, four to five prototype aircraft will be produced and then tested and validated before serial production. The eventual order for the jets is expected to be in the range of lakhs of crores of rupees.
The ambitious Advanced Multirole Combat Aircraft (AMCA) programme will see the development of a new fifth generation fighter jet that will become India's mainstay aerial platform from the mid-2030s.
Defence minister Rajnath Singh unveiled a new approach to large defence research and development projects by clearing a model on Tuesday that will see a competition between private and public sector companies to work with the government-owned Aeronautical Development Agency (ADA) that is designing the fighter jet.
Leading contenders for the programme - initially estimated at ₹15,000 crore but expected to amount to lakhs of crores after the prototype is cleared for induction - will include Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd (HAL), Tata Advanced Systems Ltd (TASL) and Adani Defence. India's largest defence company, Larsen and Toubro (L&T), is also likely to be qualified to bid.
As per the execution model, Indian companies, either alone or as part of a consortium, will be invited to bid to become part of the programme that will first see development of prototypes and then serial production of AMCA jets. In the first batch, 120 fighter jets are expected to be ordered, with deliveries expected to start by 2035. The number is expected to go up significantly in the coming years as more advanced variants are developed.
"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 or bidder should be an Indian company compliant with the laws and regulations of the country," an official said.
While HAL was widely expected to be a part of the programme given its inherent capabilities, the government has decided that a competitive process will harness the potential of the larger industrial base in the country. ADA will shortly issue an expression of interest (EoI) for the AMCA development phase and it is expected that two-three consortiums will emerge as bidders. EoI will determine which companies can take part in the competition as it will define technical and financial criteria.
The new jets will feature the latest military technologies, including stealth features, integration of artificial intelligence, long-range targeting capabilities and the ability to jointly operate with unmanned systems. As per plans, four to five prototype aircraft will be produced and then tested and validated before serial production. The eventual order for the jets is expected to be in the range of lakhs of crores of rupees.
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