Multiple Indian firms, along with their partner companies, have submitted their bids to tie up with the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) for developing and designing the indigenous fifth-generation fighter, the Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft (AMCA).
India set to develop indigenous 5th-Gen stealth fighter by 2034-35
Multiple Indian firms, along with their partner companies, have submitted their bids to tie up with the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) for developing and designing the indigenous fifth-generation fighter, the Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft (AMCA). September 30 was the last day for submission of bids in response to the Expression of Interest issued by the Aeronautical Development Agency (ADA) of the Defence Research and Development Organisation.
Multiple bids have been received from the major Indian firms to partner for a Rs 15,000 crore design and development project for the DRDO. The bids will now be examined by a committee formed under former BranMos Aerospace chief A Sivathanu Pillai, defence officials told ANI. The Pillai committee will then submit its evaluation report and recommendations to the Defence Ministry, which will make the final decision on choosing partners for the project, they said.
The Defence Ministry has been deeply involved with the project ever since it was approved by the Cabinet Committee on Security last year. The Defence Secretary has been working closely with the DRDO and ADA to expedite the process, ensuring the project remains on track and meets its timelines. In this project, Larsen and Toubro is partnering with Bharat Electronics Limited, and Bharat Earth Movers Limited has partnered with other private sector companies. The biggest aerospace player in the country, Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL), has also submitted its bids for the project.
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The AMCA is expected to be ready for production and induction into the Indian Air Force by the year 2034-35. The design and development partner for the project may also serve as the production partner, with at least 125 aircraft likely to be produced. The manufacturing project is expected to be worth around Rs 2 lakh crores for producing around seven squadrons of the most advanced indigenous planes.
What is AMCA?
The AMCA, or the Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft, will be a single-seat, twin-engine, all-weather fifth-generation stealth, multirole combat aircraft, which can be used by the Indian Air Force and the Indian Navy. It will be developed to perform many types of missions, including air supremacy, ground-strike, Suppression of Enemy Air Defenses (SEAD) and electronic warfare (EW). It will be built in such a way that it can supplant the Russia-made fighter Sukhoi Su-30MKI, the backbone of the IAF fighter fleet.
