MoD explores greater pvt sector role in indigenous fighter jet project

Amid the push by the US to sell its F-35 fighter jet, India is focusing on boosting the involvement of the private sector in its Indigenous fifth-generation Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft (AMCA) project to ensure its timely completion. A committee has been formed by the Defence Ministry under Defence Secretary Rajesh Kumar Singh to look at enhancing the role of the private sector in making the indigenous fifth-generation fighter jets, defence officials said in New Delhi.The Committee has members from the Air Force and the aerospace public sector unit Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL), they said. The government is looking at multiple models of enhancing the private sector in which one is to have a joint venture with the HAL and a private sector firm.
At present, the Tata Group is the only private Indian firm with experience in aircraft integration, working alongside Airbus to assemble C-295 transport aircraft in India. However, HAL has already outsourced significant components of jet manufacturing to private companies such as L&T, Godrej, and Azad Engineering.
The AMCA, designed by the Aeronautical Development Agency (ADA) for the IAF, was showcased at Aero India 2025 in Bengaluru earlier this month. The 25-ton aircraft will feature advanced artificial intelligence (AI)-powered capabilities, including multi-sensor data fusion for enhanced situational awareness, an automatic target identification system, and a combined vision system for navigation in low-visibility conditions. According to the ADA, integrating AI in the AMCA will significantly enhance operational efficiency, positioning the aircraft as one of the most advanced fifth-generation fighters in the world.