Bids invited for 5th generation jet, timeline of 8 years set

The Aeronautical Development Agency (ADA), under the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), today invited expressions of interest (EoI) from Indian companies to develop and then produce the fifth-generation fighter jet — the Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft (AMCA).

A timeline of eight years has been set for the aircraft to be in flying condition and ready for mass production.

The ADA said, “The duration of the contract for development, prototyping, flight testing and certification of the AMCA shall not exceed eight years from the date of the contract.”

The shortlisted entity must possess the capability of setting up a manufacturing facility for production, it added.

The ADA will shortlist Indian companies capable of development, building of prototypes, supporting flight tests and certification of the AMCA.

However, the applicant can be a single company, joint venture or a consortium of companies. For the first time, the Ministry of Defence (MoD) has allowed Indian private players to participate in the bidding for developing a fighter jet.

Last month, the MoD had okayed bids for making five prototypes of the AMCA. Defence Minister Rajnath Singh approved the “programme execution model" for the AMCA through industry partnership.

In March last year, the Cabinet Committee on Security had okayed the proposal to design and manufacture the AMCA. The Rs 15,000-crore project is for the design and prototype development of the aircraft that will eventually have two variants.

The Mark 1 version of the AMCA is expected to be powered by General Electric-F414 engine, producing a thrust of 98 kilonewton, and the second upgraded version (Mark 2) will be powered by a 110-kilonewton thrust engine.

The Indian Air Force is looking at seven squadrons — 18 planes each — of the AMCA. This will include two squadrons of the AMCA Mark 1 and five squadrons of Mark 2.

India