Three Bids Submitted for India's AMCA Prototype Development Programme

Three contenders submitted bids for India’s Aeronautical Development Agency programme to develop Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft prototypes by the October 30, 2026 deadline. The reported bidders are Tata Advanced Systems Ltd, an L&T-led consortium with BEL and Dynamatic, and a Bharat Forge-led consortium with BEML and Data Patterns.

Key details

• The programme is reported to be valued at ₹15,000 crore.
• The selected development-cum-production partner would build five prototypes and a structural test specimen.
• The selected bidder is required to establish a manufacturing ecosystem near Puttaparthi, Andhra Pradesh, where the programme plans an integration and flight-testing complex.
• Programme targets call for the first prototype to roll out within 24 months of contract signing and all five prototypes to be completed by 2031.

The programme calls for five AMCA prototypes and a structural test specimen.

Why it matters

The competition brings Indian aerospace manufacturers and engineering groups into the prototype-development phase of the AMCA programme. The planned Puttaparthi complex would link manufacturing with aircraft integration and flight testing in Andhra Pradesh.

What happens next

The Aeronautical Development Agency is expected to assess the bids, with technical evaluation reported to continue through around the end of December 2026, followed by price negotiations. The next programme milestone will be selection of a development partner. Which contender will take the AMCA prototypes into development?