AMCA race begins: 7 firms bid to build India’s 5th-generation stealth fighter
October 1, 2025
India’s most ambitious defence aviation project, the Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft (AMCA), has officially moved into the execution phase, with seven Indian companies and consortia submitting proposals to the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) to jointly design, prototype and eventually manufacture the country’s first 5th-generation stealth fighter jet.
The INR150 billion ($1.70 billion) programme, led by DRDO’s Aeronautical Development Agency (ADA), is seen as a crucial leap in India’s aerospace capability, aiming to deliver a modern twin-engine stealth platform for the Indian Air Force.
The Ministry of Defence will now shortlist two winning consortia from the current pool of seven, who will be awarded funds to build five prototypes and develop production capacity, before the aircraft moves into serial production by 2035.
The firms in the race to build AMCA
According to officials aware of the developments, Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL), Larsen & Toubro, Adani Defence and Aerospace, Tata Advanced Systems Ltd (TASL), Kalyani Strategic Systems (Bharat Forge), and a new alliance led by BrahMos Aerospace Thiruvananthapuram Ltd (BATL), Goodluck India Ltd, and Axiscades Technologies, are among the top contenders.
Each bidder has proposed a partnership structure, often in the form of consortia, combining expertise across airframe manufacturing, electronics, avionics, propulsion systems and systems integration.
HAL has proposed a joint venture model where it will retain a 50% stake and induct four private partners to handle specific aircraft sections such as the front fuselage, wings, rear fuselage and centre fuselage.
Among the companies HAL has engaged with are L&T, VEM Technologies, Bharat Forge, and TASL.
Meanwhile, L&T has formed a strategic alliance with Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL), bringing together their capabilities in defence systems and integration, honed during their collaboration in India’s Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) programme.
This is viewed as one of the strongest bids, given both companies’ proven delivery records.
Exuding confidence, Manoj Jain, Chairman & Managing Director, Bharat Electronics Limited, said: “The AMCA project represents India’s growing capabilities in defence technology. Our collaboration with L&T is a crucial step in realising this vision. With L&T’s engineering and systems integration capabilities and BEL’s expertise in defence electronics, we are confident of delivering a world-class solution that will serve the Indian Air Force for decades to come”.
Kalyani Strategic Systems (Bharat Forge) has teamed up with BEML and Data Patterns, creating a vertically integrated bid covering structure, electronics and ground support systems.
Adani Defence & Aerospace, already involved in UAV and radar systems, has independently submitted its bid, aiming to leverage its growing footprint in aerospace manufacturing.
Perhaps the most notable new entrant is the Goodluck–BrahMos–Axiscades consortium, which formalised its bid with a tripartite Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) and aims to bring BATL’s missile-grade manufacturing, Goodluck’s engineering infrastructure, and Axiscades’ aerospace services under one umbrella.
Mahesh Chandra Garg, Chairman of Goodluck India Limited, emphasised the significance of this consortium, stating, “Our partnership with BrahMos Aerospace and Axiscades is rooted in a shared commitment to innovation, national security, and self-reliance.”
He further added, “By bringing together our proven strengths in defence-grade manufacturing and engineering, we are poised to play a critical role in one of India’s most ambitious and strategic defence programmes. The AMCA is more than an aircraft – it is a symbol of India’s technological sovereignty, and we are honoured to contribute to its realisation.”
Insiders tip BrahMos alliance and HAL as top contenders
Industry sources suggest that the BrahMos-led consortium and HAL could carry significant weight in the final decision.
The presence of A. Sivathanu Pillai, former BrahMos Aerospace CEO, as chairman of the evaluation committee, is seen by some insiders as a potential advantage for the BATL-Goodluck-Axiscades alliance, given his familiarity with BATL’s production ecosystem.
Similarly, HAL’s historic dominance in combat aircraft programmes, including the LCA Tejas, could play in its favour, though insiders caution that the Ministry is keen to promote broader private sector participation, in line with the Atmanirbhar Bharat (Self-reliant India) vision.
AMCA: India’s leap into 5th-gen aerospace capability
The AMCA will be a 25-tonne class twin-engine stealth fighter being designed with supercruise capability, internal weapons bays, advanced avionics, AI-assisted mission support, and stealth shaping. It will be developed in two variants:
- AMCA Mk-1, powered by American GE F414 engines.
- AMCA Mk-2, featuring a 120-kilonewton engine jointly developed by France’s Safran and India’s GTRE, aimed at complete engine indigenisation.
“This aircraft will not be noticed on enemy radar; that is the stealth feature of this aircraft,” said AMCA Project Director Krishna Rajendra earlier this year.
The fighter will also include AESA radar, infra-red search and track (IRST), and electronic warfare suites designed in India.
The first prototype is expected to fly by 2029, with operational induction from 2035. The Indian Air Force plans to induct six squadrons (120 aircraft), including two Mk-1 and four Mk-2 variants.
AMCA: A transformative moment for India’s aerospace industry
The AMCA’s execution model represents a historic shift in India’s defence manufacturing, moving from a state-owned dominated structure to a competitive, consortium-led model that encourages private sector capacity building and localisation.
By involving private players in the manufacturing and design process from the beginning, the Ministry of Defence aims to build a long-term aerospace industrial base, moving India closer to self-reliance in military aviation and reducing its dependence on imports.
China’s induction of its own 5th-generation J-20 fighters and Pakistan’s interest in acquiring similar capabilities have added urgency to India’s timeline.
India’s Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) had cleared the initial $1.7 billion for prototype development in early 2024, giving ADA and DRDO the funding and political backing required to speed up development.
In the next few weeks, the A. Sivathanu Pillai-led evaluation panel will assess the bids on technical, financial and execution criteria, after which the final two consortia will be selected by the Defence Ministry.
The selected firms will co-develop, test, and eventually help manufacture what could be India’s first true stealth aircraft, a programme not just of strategic value, but of national pride and industrial transformation.
