Platform profile · India · Fifth-generation stealth multirole fighter · Indian Air Force (planned); Indian Navy variant under study
Full-scale engineering development under way — prototype-build RFP issued to three consortia in May 2026; the Safran-GTRE joint venture for the Mk2 engine is reported before the CCS with clearance expected by mid-August 2026 (unconfirmed officially), while the F414 price surge for prototype engines remains unresolved.
The Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft (AMCA) is India's indigenous fifth-generation stealth fighter, developed by DRDO's Aeronautical Development Agency with industry partners for the Indian Air Force. A roughly Rs 15,000-crore full-scale engineering development phase is under way, with a request for proposal issued in May 2026 to three private-sector-led consortia to build five prototypes ahead of a targeted 2028-29 first flight and mid-2030s induction. The programme is at a critical juncture: a reported near-tripling of GE F414 engine prices threatens the prototype schedule, while a proposed Safran-GTRE joint venture for the higher-thrust Mk2 engine — with full technology transfer and reported 100% Indian IP — is reported before the Cabinet Committee on Security awaiting clearance.
Updated 14 days ago Updated 3 Aug 2026
Verified figures
Spec sources: swarajyamag.com ↗ · flightglobal.com ↗ · indiasentinels.com ↗
Changelog
The proposed Safran-GTRE joint venture for the AMCA Mk2 engine — a ~120 kN-class powerplant with growth toward 140 kN, nine certification prototypes, reported 100% Indian IP and full technology transfer including the hot section, HAL as manufacturing partner, and a cost estimated between Rs 30,000 crore and Rs 61,000 crore — is reported to have reached the Cabinet Committee on Security, with clearance expected before 15 August 2026; no official announcement has been made.
Reported near-tripling of the GE F414-INS6 unit price (from Rs 70–80 crore to roughly Rs 200 crore) stalls negotiations for the 15 engines needed by the five AMCA prototypes; ADA begins weighing alternatives, putting the Tejas Mk2 and AMCA Mk1 timelines at risk.
Rolls-Royce and Safran submit final offers for the 110–130 kN AMCA Mk2 engine, both pledging 100% technology transfer with India-held IP; Rolls-Royce promises an engine core test by 2030, flight test by 2034 and production by 2036 if a contract is signed by end-2026.
Defence ministry issues the request for proposal to three shortlisted consortia — Tata Advanced Systems, L&T–Bharat Electronics, and Bharat Forge–BEML–Data Patterns — to build five AMCA prototypes and a structural test specimen; HAL's bid did not qualify.
ADA issues the Expression of Interest for the AMCA development phase, opening the fighter programme to competitive bids from Indian companies, joint ventures and consortia for the first time.
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh approves the AMCA Programme Execution Model: ADA will execute the programme through industry partnership, with public and private sectors competing on an equal footing.
Full-scale engineering model of the AMCA is unveiled at Aero India 2025 in Bengaluru, displaying the internal weapons bay with indigenous munitions.
Cabinet Committee on Security clears the roughly Rs 15,000-crore full-scale engineering development phase, sanctioning design and development of five twin-engine stealth fighter prototypes.
5 tagged stories
The Defence Ministry has 'initiated efforts' to co-join the France-led FCAS sixth-generation fighter programme, a parliamentary panel reveals — weeks after France and Germany parted ways. What the move means for the IAF and the AMCA.
The Safran-GTRE joint venture for a ~120 kN AMCA Mk2 fighter engine with full Indian IP is reported before the Cabinet Committee on Security, with clearance expected by 15 August — a timeline that still awaits official confirmation.
GE Aerospace has reportedly tripled the price of F414 engines meant for AMCA prototypes, stalling negotiations and casting doubt over schedules for India's fifth-generation fighter and the Tejas Mk2.
Safran and Rolls-Royce have submitted rival proposals to co-develop the AMCA Mk2 engine, each pledging 100% technology transfer. India's choice will decide whether it finally closes its decades-old fighter-engine design gap.
Open-source analysts now count more than 30 J-35s, with output accelerating. In South Asia the figure reads as a countdown: Pakistan signed for the jet in May, and India's own fifth-generation fighter has yet to fly.
