New Delhi, Aug 2026 : The Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) has extended the deadline for submission of bids for India’s ambitious Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft (AMCA) programme, giving shortlisted bidders additional time to complete technical documentation and cost-estimation requirements.
The new deadline has been set for October 30, more than two months beyond the original cut-off. The extension follows requests from participating companies and consortia seeking additional time to finalise documentation and obtain quotations from vendors across their supply chains.
The Aeronautical Development Agency (ADA) confirmed the revised schedule on Thursday. The submitted bids are expected to be opened on the following day as the government moves towards selecting a development-cum-production partner for the estimated Rs 15,000-crore programme.
Designed by DRDO’s Bengaluru-based laboratory, the AMCA represents India's first indigenous fifth-generation stealth fighter programme. The aircraft is expected to significantly enhance the capabilities of the Indian Air Force while strengthening the country's domestic aerospace design and manufacturing ecosystem.
The Ministry of Defence and ADA had earlier issued the Request for Proposal to three shortlisted bidders. The contenders include Tata Advanced Systems Limited, which is participating independently; a consortium led by Larsen & Toubro with Bharat Electronics Limited and Dynamatic Technologies; and a consortium led by Bharat Forge with Bharat Earth Movers Limited and Data Patterns.
The selected development partner will be responsible for manufacturing five flying prototypes and one structural test specimen. The winning entity will also be required to establish a dedicated production facility near Puttaparthi in Andhra Pradesh as part of the programme.
Officials said the additional time was sought primarily because bidders needed to secure detailed quotations from vendors and suppliers. These inputs are required to prepare comprehensive project cost estimates that can be aligned with calculations undertaken by the ADA.
Industry sources have described the exercise as unprecedented in scale for India's private aerospace sector. Developing the necessary cost estimates for such a complex fighter aircraft programme involves coordinating with a large number of suppliers and assessing the cost of sophisticated systems, components and manufacturing processes.
The AMCA RFP was originally issued on May 27 to one private company and two industry consortia. They were shortlisted from seven entities that had participated in the earlier Request for Information process.
The government's decision to open the programme to private-sector participation is aimed at expanding India's defence aerospace manufacturing base and reducing dependence on a single public-sector aircraft manufacturer. The initiative is expected to create a more competitive industrial ecosystem while accelerating indigenous capabilities in advanced fighter aircraft production.
The move follows Defence Minister Rajnath Singh's approval last year of the AMCA Programme Execution Model. Under the framework, ADA will serve as the anchor organisation and execute the programme in partnership with Indian industry.
The AMCA programme is expected to generate employment, develop specialised aerospace capabilities and strengthen the domestic supply chain. More importantly, it is viewed as a major step towards India's long-term objective of achieving greater self-reliance in advanced defence technology and aerospace manufacturing.
(Disclaimer :The content of this article is sourced from a news agency and has not been edited by the Mavericknews30 team.)
