Tata, L&T and Bharat Forge shortlisted for India’s fifth-generation fighter project

NEW DELHI: India’s indigenous fifth-generation fighter aircraft programme entered a crucial new phase on Wednesday after the defence ministry issued the Request for Proposal (RFP) for the Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft (AMCA) project to three shortlisted private sector-led consortia, defence officials told ANI.

The bidders include the Larsen & Toubro-Bharat Electronics Limited combine, Tata Advanced Systems, and Bharat Forge in partnership with BEML.

The AMCA programme is regarded as India’s most ambitious fighter aircraft project and is expected to form the backbone of the Indian Air Force’s combat capability from the mid-2030s. Designed as a twin-engine stealth fighter, the aircraft will feature advanced sensor fusion, internal weapons bays, artificial intelligence-enabled systems and network-centric warfare capability.