Sources stated that the Aeronautical Development Agency (ADA)—the nodal DRDO lab responsible for designing and mentoring the AMCA project—has nearly completed its evaluation of the proposals submitted by the three shortlisted consortia. (file picture) | Photo Credit: MURALI KUMAR K

The Ministry of Defence (MoD) is likely to issue Request for Proposal (RFP) to one of the three shortlisted private sector consortium towards the end of this month, having completed legal and other scrutiny to roll out the process of manufacturing five fifth generation Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft (AMCA).

Sources stated that the Aeronautical Development Agency (ADA)—the nodal DRDO lab responsible for designing and mentoring the AMCA project—has nearly completed its evaluation of the proposals submitted by the three shortlisted consortia. These bidders include Tata Advanced Systems Ltd (TASL), competing independently; a consortium led by Larsen & Toubro (L&T), state-owned Bharat Electronics Ltd (BEL), and Dynamatic Technologies Ltd ; and a tripartite consortium of Bharat Forge, BEML, and Data Patterns.

Final three entries

In February, the MoD had zeroed in on the final three entries to select the fifth generation fighter aircraft development partner after evaluating the technical bids submitted by seven initial competitors.

The core integration and advanced flight testing centre of the 15,000 crore AMCA project is coming up over at 650 acre large land bank at Puttaparthi, Andhra Pradesh. Of that, Flight Testing Complex will be spread across 150 acres adjacent to the existing Puttaparthi runaway.  ADA will manage the core infrastructure for aircraft systems integration, ground testing, and actual flight trials. The Andhra Pradesh government has also earmarked 300 acres for private consortia selected for the manufacturing of the AMCA and their supply chain MSMEs for setting up units so that a whole aerospace ecosystem emerges at the same place. On May 15, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu had laid the foundation stone for the Core Integration and Flight Testing Centre.

Among the expansion plan is to also extend the existing Puttaparthi runway to 10,000 feet to allow high-performance fighter jet take-offs and landings.  The government is establishing a dedicated local flying zone in Puttaparthi, equipped with its own Air Traffic Control (ATC) tower, advanced meteorological systems, and military navigation aids to facilitate AMCA trials.

With the Ministry of Defence for the first time allowing industry partnership model, the ADA has moved away from traditional practice of designating Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd to build fighter jets. It’s now acting as the primary design, technical mentor, and technology transfer partner for the private sector.

Published on May 24, 2026