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2 min readNew DelhiFeb 6, 2026 06:18 AM IST
The process for shortlisting consortia of public and private sector firms that bid for the AMCA project last year is yet to be fully completed.
The state-owned Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) will participate in the bidding process for the licence manufacturing of the indigenous fifth-generation fighter jet, the Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft (AMCA), which is set to begin in 2035, even if the consortium it formed with two other companies is not shortlisted in the initial screening process, HAL’s Chairman and Managing Director, DK Sunil said Thursday.
“We are yet to receive any official communication about the firms being shortlisted in the screening process,” he told The Indian Express, adding that AMCA is a 10-year programme. “Even if we assume that HAL is not shortlisted in the initial screening for building the five prototypes of the aircraft, we will bid when fresh tenders are floated for the licence manufacturing of the jet,” he said.
“In case HAL is not shortlisted for building AMCA prototypes, it does not mean that it will not be part of the AMCA programme when manufacturing starts around 2035. Not participating in stage 1 does not mean we can’t participate in stage 2,” he said.
It is learnt that the process for shortlisting consortia of public and private sector firms that bid for the AMCA project last year is yet to be fully completed. While the initial screening based on technical evaluations has shortlisted three of the seven consortia that bid for the project, the financial evaluations based on cost bids submitted were underway.
The shortlisted consortia will have to build five AMCA prototypes and a structural test specimen.
Sunil told The Indian Express that HAL had not factored the AMCA in its revenue projections of 10 years as it was a decade-long programme.
Amrita Nayak Dutta writes on defence and national security as part of the national bureau of The Indian Express. In the past, Amrita has extensively reported on the media industry and broadcasting matters, urban affairs, bureaucracy and government policies. In the last 14 years of her career, she has worked in newspapers as well as in the online media space and is well versed with the functioning of both newsrooms. Amrita has worked in the northeast, Mumbai and Delhi. She has travelled extensively across the country, including in far-flung border areas, to bring detailed reports from the ground and has written investigative reports on media and defence. She has been working for The Indian Express since January 2023. ... Read More
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