Exclusive: Tata, two consortia led by L&T, Bharat Forge shortlisted for making fighter jets

The DRDO, through the Aeronautical Development Agency, had floated tenders in July 2025. Originally seven consortiums, including Adani Defence and HAL, had bid to partner with the DRDO for the AMCA project. The shortlisted bidders are expected to receive funding support from the government to build models of the AMCA, before manufacturing rights are given.

The AMCA project marks India’s push to modernise its Air Force, including weapons and equipment upgrades.

As part of this broader modernisation push, the Defence Acquisition Council (DAC) had last Thursday separately cleared the long-awaited proposal to buy 114 Rafale fighter jets from France under an inter-governmental deal for the IAF.

Of these, 90 jets would be manufactured in India, The Indian Express had reported earlier. The clearance came days before French President Emmanuel Macron’s scheduled visit to India between February 17 and 19.

The DAC, headed by Union Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, had also cleared the procurement of six additional P8I maritime surveillance and anti-submarine warfare aircraft from the US for the Navy.

State-owned HAL, according to sources, bid wrongly as there was a mistake in paperwork in what was a mandatory criteria, not just an evaluation criteria. While theoretically HAL could be allowed to bid later, but the company that develops the prototype has the advantage of going all the way, sources indicated.

While an email set to HAL on the bidding issues did not elicit any response, HAL’s CMD, DK Sunil, had said last week that the Bengaluru-based state-owned company will participate in the bidding process for the license manufacturing of the indigenous fifth-generation fighter jet, even if the consortium it formed with two other companies is not shortlisted in the initial screening process.

“We are yet to receive any official communication about the firms being shortlisted in the screening process,” he told The Indian Express, last week, adding that AMCA is a 10-year programme, and “even if we assume that HAL is not shortlisted in the initial screening for building the prototypes of the aircraft, we will bid when fresh tenders are floated for the license manufacturing of the jet.”