Program tracker
Full-scale engineering development under way; prototype-build bids from the three private groups closed 30 October 2026 (technical bids opened 31 October), partner selection expected February–March 2027; Defence Secretary has ruled out a foreign fifth-gen buy ("all our eggs" in AMCA) though the Air Chief warns the IAF "may have to look at other options" if AMCA slips and says the September 2028 first-flight target will not be met; F414 pricing unresolved; Mk2 engine track is a GTRE–Safran co-development (CCS clearance still not officially confirmed); FCAS collapsed in June 2026 and Western combat-air industry is consolidating around GCAP (Canada observer, Germany courted), narrowing AMCA's foreign engine/subsystem partner options.
India's fifth-generation AMCA stealth fighter is in full-scale engineering development, with DRDO targeting first prototype rollout by end-2028 and a maiden flight in 2029 (the official September 2028 first-flight target is now described by the Air Chief as unachievable). Three private-sector groups — Tata Advanced Systems, an L&T–BEL consortium and a Bharat Forge–BEML consortium — are bidding to build five flying prototypes after HAL was disqualified; bids closed 30 October 2026 after two deadline extensions, technical bids opened 31 October and a winner is expected by around March 2027. Engines are the programme's biggest open front: GE's near-tripled F414 quote has snarled the prototype-phase deal, while Safran and Rolls-Royce have submitted rival full-technology-transfer offers to co-develop the 120kN-class Mk2 engine.
Updated 30 Oct 2026 · updates logged below as they happen
Changelog
The thrice-dated AMCA prototype-build tender (RFP COM_IND_E066_2026-2027/SU) closes at 3.00 pm on 30 October 2026 with Tata Advanced Systems, the L&T-led group and the Bharat Forge-led group in contention and HAL out; ADA opens the technical bids on 31 October, and Development-cum-Production Partner selection is expected roughly four to five months after submission, i.e. February–March 2027.
BAE Systems and Bombardier sign a non-binding MoU on next-generation combat air cooperation in Canada, days after reports that Airbus and BAE will hold talks on a German role in GCAP following the June 2026 collapse of the Franco-German FCAS partnership (UK PM publicly "open to Germany joining GCAP" on 8 October) — a consolidation that narrows the field of Western firms available to AMCA as engine or subsystem co-development partners.
Air Chief Marshal AP Singh says the IAF "may have to look at other options" if the AMCA programme is delayed, noting Russia's Su-57 offer with no decision taken; later in October he is reported saying the September 2028 first-flight target will not be achieved given the partner negotiations still under way.
Defence Secretary Rajesh Kumar Singh rules out a foreign fifth-generation fighter purchase — "we are putting all our eggs in this basket as of now" — despite Russia's standing Su-57 co-production offer, and confirms the AMCA prototype bids will be allowed the extended 30 October 2026 deadline.
ADA issues a third corrigendum extending the AMCA prototype-build bid deadline to 30 October 2026 (revised from 27 July, then 27 August) at the bidders' request, with technical bids to be opened on 31 October; the ~₹15,000 crore RFP covers five flying prototypes, one structural test airframe and 1,800 test sorties, a new Indian-majority entity within three months of award, first flight within 30 months and all prototypes flown within 84 months, built at a new Puttaparthi facility.
A parliamentary panel document reveals the Ministry of Defence "has initiated efforts in a concerted manner to co-join" the France-led FCAS sixth-generation fighter programme, with the committee demanding a roadmap and analysts assessing FCAS as complementary to — not a replacement for — the fifth-generation AMCA.
The proposed Safran–GTRE joint venture to co-develop the ~120kN AMCA Mk2 engine — with 100% Indian IP, full technology transfer including the hot section, nine prototype engines and HAL as manufacturing partner — is reported to have reached the Cabinet Committee on Security, with clearance expected before 15 August 2026 (no official confirmation yet).
GE Aerospace's F414 quote nearly triples from ₹70–80 crore to about ₹210–240 crore per engine, stalling prototype-phase talks and forcing ADA to evaluate alternative engines for the five AMCA prototypes.
Rolls-Royce tables an offer to co-develop a new 110–130kN AMCA Mk2 engine wholly in India with full IP rights and technology transfer (ground test by 2032, first flight ~2034), setting up a head-to-head against Safran's rival 120kN co-development bid.
MoD issues the request for proposals to the three shortlisted private bidders — Tata Advanced Systems, L&T–BEL and Bharat Forge–BEML — to build five flying prototypes and one structural test specimen, with bids due 27 July 2026.
HAL fails to qualify as the AMCA development-cum-production partner — its order book of over eight times annual revenue breached the selection criterion — leaving Tata, L&T-led and Kalyani-led groups in the race.
DRDO chief Samir Kamat says the first AMCA prototype will roll out by end-2028 with the maiden flight planned for 2029, with design freeze and subsystem work running in parallel to compress timelines.
8 tagged stories
The twice-extended AMCA tender closed on 30 October with Tata Advanced Systems, an L&T-led group and a Bharat Forge-led group in contention and HAL out. ADA opens technical bids on 31 October; a winner is expected by March 2027.
A BAE-Bombardier combat-air MoU and reported Airbus-BAE talks on a German role signal the BAE-Leonardo-MHI fighter becoming the gravitational centre of Western combat-air industry, with implications for India's AMCA bet.
The IAF's first home exercise with a fifth-generation fighter ran 17 days at Jodhpur with seven foreign air forces and 32 observer nations, with Tejas, Prachand and the AMCA pitch on show. The F-35 had flown in India before, never trained.
The clearest official rejection yet of the Su-57 offer lands weeks before Tata, L&T-led and Bharat Forge-led teams bid for the Rs 15,000 crore AMCA prototype deal on 30 October. With HAL out, the award shapes India's fighter industry.
The Defence Ministry has 'initiated efforts' to co-join the France-led FCAS sixth-generation fighter programme, a parliamentary panel reveals — weeks after France and Germany parted ways. What the move means for the IAF and the AMCA.
The Safran-GTRE joint venture for a ~120 kN AMCA Mk2 fighter engine with full Indian IP is reported before the Cabinet Committee on Security, with clearance expected by 15 August — a timeline that still awaits official confirmation.
Safran and Rolls-Royce have submitted rival proposals to co-develop the AMCA Mk2 engine, each pledging 100% technology transfer. India's choice will decide whether it finally closes its decades-old fighter-engine design gap.
GE Aerospace has reportedly tripled the price of F414 engines meant for AMCA prototypes, stalling negotiations and casting doubt over schedules for India's fifth-generation fighter and the Tejas Mk2.
