India has extended the deadline for Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft (AMCA) proposals from 27 August to 30 October, giving three shortlisted private-sector teams an additional two months to prepare their submissions. According to Indian defence officials, the extension was granted following requests from the competing entities. Bids are now scheduled to open on the day following the new closing date.
The selected Development-cum-Production Partner will collaborate with the Aeronautical Development Agency (ADA) to develop the AMCA design into operational hardware, establish manufacturing facilities, and support flight-testing and certification. The development plan outlines five flying prototypes and one structural test article, with the first prototype required to fly within 30 months of signing the contract. The flight-test campaign is expected to encompass around 1,800 test sorties over an 84-month period.
Three private-sector industrial groups are competing for the major defence manufacturing contract. Tata Advanced Systems Limited (TASL) is submitting an independent bid. A second team is a consortium led by Larsen & Toubro, alongside state-owned Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL) and Dynamatic Technologies. The third bidding group comprises Bharat Forge, BEML, and Data Patterns. Selecting a private entity marks a shift from earlier Indian combat aircraft manufacturing programmes.
Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL), India's primary state-owned combat aircraft manufacturer that produces the Tejas fighter, is absent from the final bidder shortlist. HAL participated in the initial AMCA process but did not progress past the technical and financial evaluation stages. HAL subsequently stated it had received no official notification confirming its exclusion from the competition.
Current programme scheduling projects the first AMCA prototype to take flight around 2029, with development wrapping up in the 2030s and series production targeted to begin around 2035. The approximately 25-tonne twin-engine stealth fighter is specified to feature low-observable shaping, internal weapons bays, sensor fusion, and advanced avionics. The initial AMCA Mk1 version is set to utilize GE Aerospace F414 engines.
