AMCA Fighter Jet Project: Seven big Indian defence companies have sent their bids to build India’s new fighter jet called the Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft (AMCA). These include Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL), Larsen & Toubro (L&T), Adani Defence, Tata Advanced Systems, Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL), Bharat Earth Movers Limited (BEML) and also Kalyani Strategic Systems. The Defence Ministry is now checking all the proposals and this has become the country’s biggest research and development project in the defence field so far.
EyeROV wins ₹47 crore Navy deal for underwater robots
The Aeronautical Development Agency (ADA), which is a part of DRDO, had asked companies to send their interest in June. The idea is to pick firms in India who can build fighter jets inside the country within eight years. The Ministry has given a big amount of money for this job. Almost Rs 15,000 crore is already kept only for prototype work. After the first prototype proves itself the final deal could go up to several lakhs crore rupees.
AMCA Fighter Jet Project
The AMCA is planned to be a fifth-generation stealth aircraft. This plane will carry new things like artificial intelligence, team work with unmanned drones, long range strike systems, and even supercruise ability.
It will be a 25-ton twin engine plane, and it will also hide its weapons inside the body like modern stealth fighters do. Officials said the first test flight of the prototype can happen by 2029. The Indian Air Force wants to start getting the planes by 2034 or 2035.
At first, the order will be for about 120 aircraft, and the full plan is for seven squadrons, which means 126 planes. Later more upgraded versions will also come, and these planes may stay the backbone of India’s air power till the 2040s. The Defence Minister Rajnath Singh has already said that this project is open for both public and private players, which makes it a new kind of chance for private defence firms.
Swan Defence signs pact with Samsung Heavy Industries for global shipbuilding push
Why this Project is Important?
Till now only the gov run companies made India’s fighter jets. But now the private companies like Adani Defence and Tata Advanced Systems are directly competing with HAL and other public firms. A special committee led by A Sivathanu Pillai, who earlier worked on missiles and BrahMos, will now study all the bids. The panel will check both technical and money parts before giving advice to the Ministry.
