New Delhi [India], June 18 (ANI): The Aeronautical Development Agency (ADA) has invited Indian firms to participate in the development of the indigenous fifth-generation fighter jet, the Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft (AMCA).

The ADA, under the Ministry of Defence, issued an Expression of Interest (EOI) on Wednesday.

'The Objective of this EOI is to shortlist Indian Companies (owned & controlled by resident Indian citizens) who are technically capable for the Development, building of Prototypes, supporting Flight Test and Certification of AMCA. The applicant may be a Single Company, Joint Venture or a Consortium of companies, compliant with all applicable Indian Laws & Regulations. Reputed Indian companies experienced in Aerospace & Defence sector with capability to absorb the design of AMCA and have adequate experience in the field of Development & Engineering, Manufacturing, Equipping, Integration, Testing, Quality Management, Customer Support etc will be shortlisted. The shortlisted entity must possess the capability of setting up manufacturing facility for series production. The duration of the contract for Development, Prototyping, Flight Test and Certification of AMCA shall not exceed eight (8) years from the effective date of contract,' the notification stated.

Earlier in May, the Defence Minister Rajnath Singh approved the AMCA Programme Execution Model, a key step to boost India's indigenous defence capabilities and strengthen the domestic aerospace industry, the Ministry of Defence (MoD) said in an official statement.

According to MoD's statement, in a significant push towards enhancing India's indigenous defence capabilities and fostering a robust domestic aerospace industrial ecosystem, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh has approved the Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft (AMCA) Programme Execution Model.

The Aeronautical Development Agency (ADA) is set to execute the programme through industry partnership.

The Execution Model approach provides equal opportunities to both the private and public sectors on a competitive basis. They can bid either independently or as a joint venture or as consortia. The entity/bidder should be an Indian company compliant with the laws and regulations of the country, the statement said.

This is an important step towards harnessing indigenous expertise, capability, and capacity to develop the AMCA prototype, which will be a major milestone for Aatmanirbharta in the aerospace sector. (ANI)