Adani, Tata and 5 other domestic firms throw hat in ring to develop fifth-gen fighter jets

The defence ministry has received bids from seven Indian companies to develop and manufacture next-generation fighter jets for the Advanced Multirole Combat Aircraft programme, with all leading manufacturers looking for a chance to participate in the mega contract.

L&T, HAL, Adani Defence, Tata Advanced Systems Ltd and Kalyani Strategic Systems are among the bidders, said people aware of the matter. The bids will be evaluated by a committee led by former Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) missile scientist A Sivathanu Pillai.

Technical & Commercial Details

The panel which will go into technical and commercial details before making its recommendations.

India’s biggest ever military research and development programme is up for grabs under a competitive model that will see domestic private companies facing off with established public sector entities.

In June, the Aeronautical Development Agency (ADA) issued an expression of interest (EoI) to pre-qualify Indian companies with the technical expertise to make fighter jets in not more than eight years.

As much as Rs 15,000 crore is budgeted for prototypes while the final order will be to the tune of lakhs of crores of rupees. Bidders are required to prove that they have the technical capability to absorb the AMCA design and possess adequate experience in development, engineering, manufacturing, equipping and testing among other things.

The ambitious programme will see the development of a new, fifth-generation fighter jet that will become India’s mainstay aerial platform in the mid-2030s.

After the development, 120 fighter jets are expected to be ordered in the first batch, with deliveries expected to start by 2035. The number is expected to go up significantly in the coming years as more advanced variants are developed.

The new jets will feature the latest military technologies, including stealth features, integration of artificial intelligence (AI), long-range targeting capabilities and being able to jointly operate with unmanned systems. As per the plans, four to five prototype aircraft will be produced and then tested and validated before serial production.