AMCA (Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft) by Aeronautical Development Agency (ADA): status and timeline

AMCA (Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft)

Give India its own fifth-generation stealth fighter built and designed at home rather than bought abroad.

ProtoStage 2 of 5

Builder bids due 30 Oct 2026; contract expected early 2027, first flight ~30 months later.

Updated 27 Aug 2026Checked 11 Oct0 updates this week

Milestones

Next · Bids due from shortlisted consortia

Security cabinet approves prototype phase (~Rs 15,000 crore)7 Mar 2024Complete.
Execution model with private-sector partner approved27 May 2025Complete.
RFP issued to three shortlisted consortia27 May 2026Complete.
Bids due from shortlisted consortiaTarget 30 Oct 2026+2 mo~~originally 27 Aug 2026~~Current milestone.
Prototype contract awardTarget 2027Not yet reached.
Maiden flight (target)Target 2029Not yet reached.

Most important updates

Upcoming

30 Oct 2026Bids due from shortlisted consortia+2 mo~~originally 27 Aug 2026~~in 19 days (next)
31 Oct 2026Bids open for AMCA prototype development partner
2027Prototype contract award
2029Maiden flight (target)

Current obstacles

Picking and standing up the builderNone of the bidders has built a complete fighter; the winner must form a dedicated Indian-owned company and work from a new site in Andhra Pradesh.
Engine dependenceThe first jets rely on US-made F414s whose commercial terms are still being negotiated; the Indian-French engine for later jets awaited cabinet approval.
Schedule slipsThe bid deadline slipped two months in 2026; Air Force induction is not expected before the mid-2030s.

Physics limits

Stealth fights aerodynamicsShapes that deflect radar are not the shapes that fly best, and internal bays add bulk and weight. Every stealth fighter trades some agility, payload and range for a smaller radar signature.
Stealth works best against short-wave radarShaping beats high-frequency fire-control radars, but long-wavelength radars see aircraft-sized objects regardless of shape, though less precisely.
Engine materials set the ceilingFighter thrust depends on how hot turbine blades can run; single-crystal superalloys and cooling tricks take decades to master, which is why few countries make fighter engines.

How it works

4 parts

Shape

Angled surfaces scatter radar

Flat, aligned panels and edges bounce radar energy away from the transmitter instead of back to it, shrinking how big the jet looks on a radar screen.

Weapons

Missiles carried inside

Internal bays hold about 1.5 tonnes of weapons so nothing hangs under the wings to reflect radar; 5.5 tonnes more can go outside when stealth matters less.

Sensors

Fused picture for one pilot

An electronically steered radar, electronic-warfare gear and other sensors are merged by software into one picture, easing the load on a single pilot.

Power

Two engines, upgrade planned

Two GE F414 engines power the first version; a stronger 120 kN-class engine is planned later to add speed and range.

Spec sheet

Spec	AMCA (Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft)
Internal weapons payload	1,500 kg^R (reported)
External stores	5,500 kg^R (reported)
Combat radius (planned)	1,620 km^R (reported)
Engines (Mk1)	2 x GE F414^R (reported)
Flying prototypes	5 + 1 structural test airframe^R (reported)
Prototype phase budget	~Rs 15,000 crore (~$1.8B)^E (estimated)

^R reported by the company · ^E our estimate

Update log

4 updates

About Aeronautical Development Agency (ADA)

The team behind AMCA (Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft)

Aeronautical Development Agency (ADA)

AMCA stealth fighter, Tejas, TEDBF

India's state agency for designing combat aircraft, part of the DRDO defence research network and based in Bengaluru. It designed the Tejas light fighter and is the design authority for AMCA, India's planned fifth-generation stealth fighter.

AMCA prototype phase (~Rs 15,000 crore, 5 jets) was approved by India's security cabinet in March 2024.
Tata, an L&T-BEL team and a Bharat Forge-BEML team bid to build the prototypes; bids are due 30 October 2026.
The RFP wants a first flight within 30 months of contract (about 2029); Air Force induction is expected in the mid-2030s.

ada.gov.in (opens ada.gov.in)Company profile →

Founded: 198442 yrs
Headquarters: India
Status: Governmentof DRDO, Ministry of Defence (India)
Valuation: government
Works in: AviationCombat aircraft
Coverage: 1 program · 4 updateslatest 27 Aug 2026checked 11 Oct
Customers: Indian Air Force
Partners: Safran
Suppliers: GE Aerospace

Spec

AMCA (Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft)

Internal weapons payload

1,500 kg^R (reported)

External stores

5,500 kg^R (reported)

Combat radius (planned)

1,620 km^R (reported)

Engines (Mk1)

2 x GE F414^R (reported)

Flying prototypes

5 + 1 structural test airframe^R (reported)

Prototype phase budget

~Rs 15,000 crore (~$1.8B)^E (estimated)

AMCA (Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft)

Milestones

Most important updates

Upcoming

Current obstacles

Physics limits

How it works

Angled surfaces scatter radar

Missiles carried inside

Fused picture for one pilot

Two engines, upgrade planned

Spec sheet

Update log

Thu 27 Aug

Wed 27 May

Tue 27 May 2025

Thu 7 Mar 2024

About Aeronautical Development Agency (ADA)

Current obstacles

Physics limits

How it works

Angled surfaces scatter radar

Missiles carried inside

Fused picture for one pilot

Two engines, upgrade planned

Spec sheet

Update log

Thu 27 Aug

Wed 27 May

Tue 27 May 2025

Thu 7 Mar 2024

About Aeronautical Development Agency (ADA)