Tata, Kalyani unlikely to tie up with HAL for Amca race; L&T picks BEL

Tata Advanced Systems (TASL) and Kalyani group are leaning towards not tying up with state-owned Hindustan Aeronautics (HAL) as they prepare to qualify for developing the prototype of India’s first indigenous stealth fighter jet — the Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft (Amca), sources told Business Standard.

- BHASWAR KUMAR

Full-scale model of the Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft, which was showcased at the 15th edition of Aero India in Bengaluru from February 10 to 14, 2025

(PIB)

Tata Advanced Systems (TASL) and Kalyani group are leaning towards not tying up with state-owned Hindustan Aeronautics (HAL) as they prepare to qualify for developing the prototype of India’s first indigenous stealth fighter jet — the Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft (Amca), sources told Business Standard.

With Larsen & Toubro (L&T) on Wednesday announcing its tieup with state-run Bharat Electronics (BEL), sources added that the only other very large private-sector players who remain potential candidates for a tieup with HAL are Adani group and Mahindra group. The government intends the Amca programme to serve as a pathway for setting up a parallel fighter jet production line.

Highlighting that a substantial number of private companies have approached HAL, sources said that the twoor three-party consortium (the maximum permitted) that HAL is expected to lead in pursuing the Amca programme could take one of two forms. Either the defence public sector undertaking (DPSU) will team up with one of the four or five largest private firms still in play alongside a smaller company, or it may choose to tie up entirely with smaller players — with the likes of Dynamatic Technologies and VEM Technologies being likely candidates in that category. In response to an emailed query, HAL declined to comment on the matter.