AMCA fighter project moves ahead as Centre issues RFP to shortlisted firms, Pg12

Key Highlights:

• The Ministry of Defence issued a Request for Proposal (RFP) for the Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft (AMCA) program to three shortlisted bidders.
• Shortlisted entities include Larsen and Toubro-Bharat Electronics Limited, Tata Advanced Systems, and the Bharat Forge-BEML consortium.
• The government plans to build five prototypes of the AMCA, a stealth fighter aircraft.
• On May 15, the foundation stone was laid for the ₹15,803-crore AMCA infrastructure project in Andhra Pradesh.

Detailed Insights:

• The AMCA programme aims to develop a fifth-generation stealth combat aircraft with advanced avionics and supercruise capability.
• The selected private defence entity will partner with the Aeronautical Development Agency for prototype development.
• The AMCA Programme Execution Model was approved last year, with the Aeronautical Development Agency leading the project through industry partnership.
• The selection process is expected to conclude in four to five months, based on technical and commercial evaluations of the responses to the RFP.

Key Concepts Involved:

• Request for Proposal (RFP): A formal invitation to suppliers to submit a proposal on a specific product or service.
• Stealth Aircraft: An aircraft designed to avoid detection using radar and other technologies.
• Supercruise: The ability of an aircraft to sustain supersonic flight without using afterburners.