New Delhi: Union Defence Minister Rajnath Singh has approved the Execution Model for the Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft (AMCA) programme, marking a major step forward in enhancing India’s indigenous defence capabilities and supporting the domestic aerospace industry, according to an official statement by the Ministry of Defence (MoD).
The ministry emphasized that this initiative is a significant move toward building a robust aerospace ecosystem in India. The programme will be implemented by the Aeronautical Development Agency (ADA) through industry partnerships.
As per the approved model, both public and private sector companies will be given equal opportunity to participate competitively. Bidders can apply independently, as part of a joint venture, or as consortia. The only requirement is that the participating entity must be an Indian company in compliance with national laws and regulations.
“This is an important step towards harnessing the indigenous expertise, capability and capacity to develop the AMCA prototype, which will be a major milestone towards Aatmanirbharta in the aerospace sector,” the statement said.
The ADA is expected to issue an Expression of Interest (EoI) shortly for the development phase of the AMCA.
India has been working actively to involve the private sector in this fifth-generation fighter jet programme. This effort comes as international players, including the United States, continue to promote options like the F-35 to India.
A dedicated committee, led by Defence Secretary Rajesh Kumar Singh and including members from the Indian Air Force and Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL), has been established to explore ways to enhance private sector involvement.
The committee is evaluating several models, such as joint ventures between HAL and private firms, or collaborative development roles for private entities. HAL’s deep experience in aircraft manufacturing ensures it will remain a cornerstone of the AMCA project.
Currently, HAL outsources a substantial part of its fighter jet production to private companies such as L&T, Godrej, and Azad Engineering. The Tata Group has also emerged as a notable player, collaborating with Airbus to assemble C-295 transport aircraft in India.
A full-scale model of the AMCA, designed by ADA for the Indian Air Force, was recently displayed at Aero India 2025, held in Bengaluru from February 10 to 14. Weighing around 25 tons, the aircraft will include capabilities for manned and unmanned teaming, powered by artificial intelligence (AI) technologies.
According to ADA, the AMCA will feature an AI-driven electronic pilot, multi-sensor data fusion for enhanced situational awareness, a pilot decision support system, automatic target identification, and a combined vision system for low-visibility navigation. These innovations will place the AMCA among the most advanced fifth-generation fighter aircraft in the world.