Race to develop India’s 5th-Gen fighter jet heats up as L&T-BEL consortium enters AMCA programme
The competition to produce India’s ambitious 5th-generation fighter jet, the Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft (AMCA), has intensified with a Larsen & Toubro (L&T)-led consortium formally expressing interest in the programme.
This marks the first time a private sector-led consortium — outside of the state-run Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) — has entered the race to develop and manufacture a platform conceived by the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO).
L&T has partnered with Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL), a public sector electronics giant, to jointly respond to the Expression of Interest (EoI) issued by the Ministry of Defence’s Aeronautical Development Agency (ADA) for the AMCA programme.
The deadline for submitting bids for India’s AMCA project’s Full-Scale Engineering Development (FSED) was extended to September 30 after no private sector consortiums responded to the EoI initially released on June 18, 2025.
Sources said that more bids from leading private players are expected towards the end of the deadline on September 30.
Maharatna aerospace company Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL), the sole manufacturer of fighter aircrafts in India, will also tie-up with private players to bid in the project. Sources said that 28 firms have expressed interest to become partner of HAL in this mega project and out of that it will select a couple to bid as a consortium.
The move represents a potential shift in India’s defence manufacturing landscape, which has traditionally been dominated by HAL in the aerospace segment.
The consortium aims to combine L&T’s expertise in defence systems integration and aerospace platforms with BEL’s strength in mission-critical electronics and avionics. Together, they plan to offer a high-performance, indigenous solution for the Indian Air Force’s next-generation air dominance needs.
“This is a significant leap in our commitment to modernising India’s defence capabilities,” said S N Subrahmanyan, Chairman & Managing Director, L&T. “Our collaboration with BEL is built on mutual strengths and shared national vision.”
Manoj Jain, CMD, BEL, added: “The AMCA project showcases India’s maturing defence technology ecosystem. Partnering with L&T allows us to deliver a truly world-class solution.”
A first in India’s fighter jet development
While HAL has been the traditional development and production partner for DRDO-led aerospace projects, including the Tejas Light Combat Aircraft, the entry of an L&T-led consortium signals a new phase of competition and private participation in advanced fighter programmes — in line with the government’s ‘Atmanirbhar Bharat’ (Self-Reliant India) vision. The government for the first time allowed private players entry into aerospace manufacturing to end the monopoly of HAL which has also come under criticism from IAF for not meeting timelines for delivery of LCA Tejas MK-1A.
Both L&T and BEL have played key roles in the Tejas programme: L&T in manufacturing aero-structures and sub-systems, and BEL in delivering avionics and electronic warfare systems. The new partnership builds on that legacy with a focus on 5th-generation capabilities, including stealth, supercruise, advanced avionics, and network-centric warfare features.
The L&T-BEL consortium is expected to submit its formal proposal to ADA in the coming weeks. If selected, the partnership could reshape how India’s defence aviation programmes are developed and executed — moving toward a multi-vendor, capability-driven model and breaking the decades-long monopoly of state-owned players in combat aircraft production.
Published on September 24, 2025
