India has excluded state-owned Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) from the competition to build prototypes of its indigenous stealth fighter, the Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft (AMCA), after the company failed to meet certain routine technical requirements, Defence Secretary R.K. Singh has said.
Speaking in an interview at the NDTV Defence Summit 2026 in New Delhi on Sunday, Singh said HAL did not qualify because it failed to meet some standard technical conditions. He did not specify which requirements the state-owned aerospace manufacturer had failed to satisfy.
The decision marks the first time HAL has been excluded from an indigenous Indian fighter-aircraft development programme. At the same time, India’s Defence Ministry has opened the AMCA prototype programme to private-sector companies, with the stated aim of creating a second fighter-aircraft production line rather than relying on a single manufacturer.
Three technically qualified companies or consortiums have been identified: Tata Advanced Systems Limited; a consortium of L&T, BEL and Dynamatic; and a consortium involving Bharat Forge, BEML and Data Patterns.
In February, Indian defence officials said three of seven consortiums that had expressed interest in the AMCA programme had met the mandatory technical and financial requirements. HAL, which had applied in partnership with two smaller companies, was not among the successful bidders.
The Indian government is expected to spend about 150 billion rupees on the prototype-development phase, covering the full cost. The selected manufacturer will be required to build five flyable prototypes and one aircraft for structural testing.
The first prototype is targeted to take flight within 30 months, while all five flight-capable prototypes are expected to be completed within 64 months.
Design control of the AMCA programme will remain with India’s Aeronautical Development Agency. The initial aircraft are planned to use General Electric’s F414 engines, which are also intended for India’s Tejas Mk2 fighter.
The Indian Defence Ministry considers the AMCA a national priority. Singh has expressed hope that the first prototype will make its maiden flight by September 2028.
India currently has no operational stealth fighter aircraft designed to evade radar detection. New Delhi is also considering the possible purchase of a limited number of Russian Su-57 stealth fighters.
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