India’s AMCA Programme Moves Ahead Without HAL. Private Firms in Race for Prototype Development

India’s national aircraft manufacturer, Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL), has failed to qualify for the construction of prototypes of India’s advanced stealth fighter aircraft, the Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft (AMCA).

According to India’s Defence Secretary R.K. Singh, HAL’s bid was considered ineligible because it failed to meet certain common technical criteria.

Speaking in an interview with the national media in New Delhi on Sunday, R.K. Singh said that HAL could not fulfil “some fairly common technical criteria.” However, he did not specify what those technical criteria were.

This is the first time that HAL has been excluded from the competition to manufacture AMCA prototypes. At the same time, the Ministry of Defence has decided to involve the private sector in the development of the advanced fighter aircraft. The government aims to establish a second fighter aircraft production line in the country and reduce complete dependence on a single organisation.

At present, three companies/consortia are competing for the AMCA project — Tata Advanced Systems, the L&T-BEL-Dynamatic Consortium, and the Bharat Forge-BEML-Data Patterns Consortium. The prototype development phase, estimated to cost around ₹15,000 crore, will be fully funded by the central government.

The selected entity will manufacture five flight-worthy prototypes and one Structural Test Aircraft. The first prototype is targeted to make its maiden flight within approximately 30 months. All five prototypes are planned to be completed within 64 months.

The programme aims to conduct around 1,800 test flights within approximately 84 months.

In the initial phase, the AMCA will be powered by General Electric’s F414 engine. The same engine is also planned for use in the Tejas Mk-2 fighter aircraft. The Aeronautical Development Agency (ADA) will retain the primary design authority for the AMCA.

According to Defence Secretary R.K. Singh, the first AMCA prototype is expected to make its maiden flight in September 2028.

Possibility of Procuring a Limited Number of Russian Sukhoi-57 Fighters

The Indian Air Force currently does not have an indigenous radar-evading stealth fighter aircraft. Meanwhile, the possibility of procuring a limited number of Russian Sukhoi-57 fighter aircraft is also being considered.