India’s Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft (AMCA) programme has moved a step closer to the development phase after the Aeronautical Development Agency (ADA) re-issued the Request for Proposal (RFP) with revised project conditions. The updated tender includes several technical, financial and operational changes aimed at strengthening the execution of India’s ambitious fifth-generation stealth fighter programme.
According to the revised tender, the selected development partner will be responsible for manufacturing five flying prototypes and carrying out an expanded flight testing campaign involving nearly 1,800 sorties over an 84-month period. The increased testing requirement is intended to support comprehensive performance evaluation and certification before the aircraft enters production.
The updated RFP also introduces additional testing infrastructure requirements. These include a Lightning Test Rig to assess the aircraft’s resilience against lightning strikes and electromagnetic effects, along with Mobile Electromagnetic Interference and Electromagnetic Compatibility (EMI/EMC) testing facilities to ensure compliance with modern military aviation standards.
Several financial provisions have also been revised. The tender replaces the earlier LIBOR-based interest calculation with the State Bank of India’s Marginal Cost of Funds-based Lending Rate (MCLR), bringing the contract in line with current domestic financial practices. Additionally, the annual maintenance cost for prototype aircraft will now be indexed using the Consumer Price Index-Wholesale Price Index (CPI-WPI) instead of the previously used CPI-IW methodology.
The revised document further clarifies the handling of government-owned materials supplied during the programme. While ADA will continue to insure these assets during transit, responsibility for their safekeeping and management will shift to the selected development partner once delivery has been completed.
The AMCA project is India’s flagship indigenous fifth-generation fighter aircraft programme, designed to provide the Indian Air Force with an advanced stealth platform featuring cutting-edge avionics, sensor fusion, internal weapons carriage and multirole combat capabilities. The re-issued tender is expected to provide greater clarity to participating industry teams before the selection of the development partner, keeping the programme on course as India advances its long-term goal of building a homegrown stealth fighter.
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