{"id":25463167,"date":"2026-09-29T10:10:47","date_gmt":"2026-09-29T08:10:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/amca-first-flight-september-2028-india-stealth-fighter-hal-out-2026\/"},"modified":"2026-09-29T10:11:10","modified_gmt":"2026-09-29T08:11:10","slug":"amca-first-flight-september-2028-india-stealth-fighter-hal-out-2026","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/amca-first-flight-september-2028-india-stealth-fighter-hal-out-2026\/","title":{"rendered":"AMCA First Flight Set for 2028: India Names Its Stealth Fighter Deadline"},"content":{"rendered":"<style>.et_pb_title_container h1.entry-title { padding-top: 40px !important; }<\/style>\r\n\r\n<p>India has been talking about its own stealth fighter for well over a decade. Now it has a date. Defence Secretary Rajesh Kumar Singh says the first prototype of the Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft (AMCA) is targeted to fly in September 2028.<\/p>\r\n\r\n<p>Speaking at the NDTV Defence Summit in New Delhi on Sunday, 27 September, Singh also put a date on the <a href=\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/aircraft\/hal-tejas\/\">Tejas<\/a> Mk2, India's next medium-weight fighter: its first flight should come between June and September 2027. And he confirmed what had been reported for months. The state-owned manufacturer Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) will not build the AMCA prototypes.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n<div style=\"background:#f4f6fa;border:1px solid #e2e7ee;padding:18px 22px;margin:22px 0 28px\"><p style=\"margin:0 0 10px;font-weight:700;color:#0d1117;font-size:17px\">Quick Facts<\/p><ul style=\"margin:0;padding-left:20px;line-height:1.75\"><li><strong>Programme:<\/strong> Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft (AMCA), India's planned fifth-generation stealth fighter<\/li><li><strong>First flight target:<\/strong> September 2028, according to Defence Secretary Rajesh Kumar Singh<\/li><li><strong>Prototypes:<\/strong> Five flying prototypes plus one structural test aircraft<\/li><li><strong>Engines:<\/strong> General Electric F414 on the initial prototypes<\/li><li><strong>Bidders:<\/strong> Tata Advanced Systems; L&T, BEL and Dynamatic; Bharat Forge, BEML and Data Patterns<\/li><li><strong>Bid deadline:<\/strong> 30 October 2026<\/li><li><strong>Tejas Mk2:<\/strong> First flight targeted between June and September 2027<\/li><\/ul><\/div>\r\n\r\n\r\n<h2 style=\"padding-top:22px\">A Deadline for a Stealth Fighter<\/h2>\r\n\r\n<p>The AMCA will be built by a private-sector development-cum-production partner working with the Aeronautical Development Agency (ADA), which keeps design authority. According to SSBCrack and idrw, the programme documents require a first flight within 30 months of the contract award, all five prototypes within 64 months, and 1,800 flight-test sorties within 84 months. The government is paying for the prototype phase in full, an estimated \u20b915,000 crore.<\/p>\r\n\r\n<p>Bids are now due by 30 October 2026. The Aircraft Integration and Flight Testing Centre that will host the test campaign is being built at Puttaparthi in Andhra Pradesh, according to idrw.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n<div style=\"position:relative;padding-bottom:56.25%;height:0;overflow:hidden;margin:24px 0\"><iframe class=\"skip-lazy\" data-no-lazy=\"1\" loading=\"eager\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/urg3ZHfK8U8\" style=\"position:absolute;top:0;left:0;width:100%;height:100%;border:0\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/div>\r\n\r\n\r\n<p style=\"font-size:14px;color:#666;font-style:italic\">Defence Secretary Rajesh Kumar Singh on the AMCA, Rafale and Tejas at the NDTV Defence Summit. Video: NDTV World.<\/p>\r\n\r\n<h2 style=\"padding-top:22px\">Why HAL Is Out<\/h2>\r\n\r\n<p>HAL has built almost every Indian combat aircraft. It will not build this one, at least not yet. Of the seven groups that expressed interest, only three met the technical and financial criteria. HAL, which had bid with two smaller partners, was not among them.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n<div style=\"background:#f8f9fa;border-left:4px solid #5C91FF;padding:20px 22px;margin:18px 0 24px;font-size:16px;line-height:1.7;display:flex;gap:20px;align-items:flex-start\"><div><em>&ldquo;We wanted to create a second fighter jet production line in the country rather than putting all our eggs in one basket, as has always been the case in this country.&rdquo;<\/em><div style=\"margin-top:10px;font-size:14px;color:#555\"><strong>Rajesh Kumar Singh<\/strong> &mdash; Defence Secretary of India, NDTV Defence Summit, 27 September 2026, as reported by SSBCrack<\/div><\/div><\/div>\r\n\r\n\r\n<p>Singh said HAL had failed on some fairly routine technical grounds, without naming them. Earlier reports had linked the exclusion to a scoring rule that penalised bidders whose order book exceeded three times their annual turnover, which HAL's does by a wide margin. HAL may still take part when the aircraft moves to series production.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\" style=\"margin:0 0 24px;width:100%\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"skip-lazy\" data-no-lazy=\"1\" loading=\"eager\" width=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2026\/09\/amca-model-exhibition-2016.jpg\" alt=\"Earlier model of the AMCA stealth fighter on display in 2016\" style=\"width:100%;height:auto;max-width:100%;display:block\"><figcaption style=\"font-size:13px;color:#777;text-align:center;margin-top:6px;font-style:italic\">An earlier AMCA model on display in 2016. The design has evolved since, and no full prototype has been built yet. Photo: Udayblr \/ Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0<\/figcaption><\/figure>\r\n\r\n\r\n<h2 style=\"padding-top:22px\">The Stealth Gap<\/h2>\r\n\r\n<p>India's air force does not operate any stealth aircraft. China flies the J-20 in large numbers and has shown more stealth types since. Singh said the government has made no decision on buying foreign fifth-generation fighters such as the Russian Su-57 as a stopgap. Instead, India is relying on an AI layer in its Integrated Air Command and Control System to get more out of its existing fighters.<\/p>\r\n\r\n<p>Meanwhile, Singh said HAL has 27 Tejas Mk1A airframes on the assembly line, and GE has promised to deliver four F404 engines a month for the rest of the year. The Indian Air Force expects to form its first operational Mk1A squadron before the end of the financial year.<\/p>\r\n\r\n<p>September 2028 is two years away. For a programme that has spent years on drawing boards and exhibition stands, it is the first date anyone in Delhi has been willing to put on the record.<\/p>\r\n\r\n<p><em>Sources: NDTV Defence Summit, Livefist, SSBCrack, idrw, The Economic Times<\/em><\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n<style>.mfq{margin:34px 0 8px}.mfq h2{font:26px\/1.3 \"Gilroy semiBold\",Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;color:#0d1117;padding-top:22px;margin:0 0 6px}.mfq .qa details{border-top:1px solid #5C91FF;margin:0;padding:0}.mfq .qa details:last-of-type{border-bottom:1px solid #e2e7ee}.mfq .qa summary{cursor:pointer;list-style:none;display:flex;justify-content:space-between;align-items:center;gap:16px;padding:22px 26px;font:18px\/1.7 \"Gilroy semiBold\",Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;color:#0d1117}.mfq .qa summary::-webkit-details-marker{display:none}.mfq .qa summary::after{content:\"+\";font:24px Helvetica,sans-serif;color:#3568e0;flex:0 0 auto}.mfq .qa details[open] summary::after{content:\"\\2013\"}.mfq .qa details:hover summary{color:#3568e0}.mfq .qa .a{font:16px\/1.7 \"Gilroy regular\",Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;color:#454e5e;padding:0 26px 24px}.mfq .qa .a a{color:#3568e0}@media(max-width:680px){.mfq .qa summary{padding:18px 14px;font-size:17px}.mfq .qa .a{padding:0 14px 20px}}<\/style>\r\n\r\n\r\n<section class=\"mfq\"><h2>Frequently Asked Questions<\/h2><div class=\"qa\"><details open><summary>When will the AMCA fly?<\/summary><div class=\"a\">India's Defence Secretary Rajesh Kumar Singh said on 27 September 2026 that the first Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft (AMCA) prototype is targeted to fly in September 2028. Programme documents require a first flight within 30 months of the development contract being awarded.<\/div><\/details><details><summary>What is the AMCA?<\/summary><div class=\"a\">The Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft (AMCA) is India's planned fifth-generation stealth fighter, designed by the Aeronautical Development Agency (ADA). Five flying prototypes and one structural test aircraft will be built, initially powered by General Electric F414 engines.<\/div><\/details><details><summary>Why is HAL not building the AMCA prototypes?<\/summary><div class=\"a\">HAL failed to qualify for the AMCA prototype phase. Defence Secretary Rajesh Kumar Singh said HAL did not meet some fairly routine technical criteria. The government wants a second fighter production line outside HAL. HAL may still take part in series production.<\/div><\/details><details><summary>Who is bidding to build the AMCA?<\/summary><div class=\"a\">Three bidders qualified for the AMCA prototype phase: Tata Advanced Systems bidding alone, a consortium of L&amp;T, Bharat Electronics and Dynamatic Technologies, and a consortium of Bharat Forge, BEML and Data Patterns. Bids are due by 30 October 2026.<\/div><\/details><details><summary>When will the Tejas Mk2 fly?<\/summary><div class=\"a\">Defence Secretary Rajesh Kumar Singh said the first flight of the Tejas Mk2 prototype is expected between June and September 2027.<\/div><\/details><\/div><\/section>\r\n\r\n\r\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@type\":\"FAQPage\",\"mainEntity\":[{\"@type\":\"Question\",\"name\":\"When will the AMCA fly?\",\"acceptedAnswer\":{\"@type\":\"Answer\",\"text\":\"India's Defence Secretary Rajesh Kumar Singh said on 27 September 2026 that the first Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft (AMCA) prototype is targeted to fly in September 2028. 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Bids are due by 30 October 2026.\"}},{\"@type\":\"Question\",\"name\":\"When will the Tejas Mk2 fly?\",\"acceptedAnswer\":{\"@type\":\"Answer\",\"text\":\"Defence Secretary Rajesh Kumar Singh said the first flight of the Tejas Mk2 prototype is expected between June and September 2027.\"}}]}<\/script><div style=\"background:#f0f4ff;border-left:4px solid #5C91FF;padding:16px 20px;margin:32px 0 8px\"><p style=\"margin:0 0 8px;font-weight:600;color:#333\">Related Posts<\/p><p style=\"margin:4px 0\"><a href=\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/reliance-rolls-royce-amca-india-fighter-engine-2026\/\">Ambani and Rolls-Royce Take On India's Engine Problem<\/a><\/p><p style=\"margin:4px 0\"><a href=\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/india-titanium-bottleneck-tejas-amca-submarine-2026\/\">India's Titanium Bottleneck: The Metal That Could Ground Tejas and AMCA<\/a><\/p><p style=\"margin:4px 0\"><a href=\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/india-tejas-mk2-first-flight-2026\/\">India's Home-Built Tejas Mk2 Nears First Flight<\/a><\/p><\/div>\r\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>India&#8217;s Defence Secretary says the first AMCA stealth fighter prototype should fly in September 2028, the Tejas Mk2 in 2027, and HAL is out of the prototype phase.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":27,"featured_media":25462930,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"editor_notices":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[664,670],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-25463167","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-military-aviation","category-news"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v28.5 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>AMCA First Flight Set for September 2028 | MiGFlug<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"India&#039;s Defence Secretary says the first AMCA stealth fighter prototype should fly in September 2028. 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