Bharat Forge, BEML, and Data Patterns Join Forces to Bid for AMCA, Boost Indigenous Defence Manufacturing.

Following closely on the heels of the strategic tie-up between Larsen & Toubro (L&T) and Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL), another consortium has entered the race for India’s fifth-generation fighter aircraft project — the Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft (AMCA).

Recently, Bharat Forge Limited (BFL), Data Patterns (India) Limited, and state-owned BEML formalised a tripartite Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to jointly bid for the DRDO-conceived AMCA programme. According to sources familiar with the development, Bharat Forge will hold a 50% stake in the consortium, while BEML will own 30% and Data Patterns the remaining 20%.

The alliance aims to offer a competitive indigenous solution to the Aeronautical Development Agency (ADA), which is overseeing the AMCA project under the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO).

This development comes shortly after L&T and BEL announced their collaboration to respond to the Expression of Interest (EoI) for the AMCA project. In that partnership, L&T brings its prowess in aerospace structures and systems, while BEL adds decades of experience in avionics, mission systems, and defence electronics.

With multiple Indian players now forming alliances, competition is heating up to contribute to the development and manufacturing of India’s first indigenously designed fifth-generation fighter jet.