L&T, BEL Join Hands for India's AMCA 5th Gen Fighter Aircraft Programme

Larsen & Toubro and Bharat Electronics Limited have formed a strategic consortium to bid for DRDO’s Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft (AMCA) programme. The partnership will combine L&T’s aerospace expertise with BEL’s defence electronics capabilities.

New Delhi: Defence public sector undertaking Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL) and one of the leading private sector firms Larson & Toubro have formed a strategic partnership to participate in the expression of interest (EOI) notice for the Indian Air Force's Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft (AMCA) programme. The EOI notice was issued by the Defence Research Development & Organisation’s (DRDO) Aeronautical Development Agency, for which the consortium will submit a response in coming weeks.

L&T's statement on the strategic partnership

In this regard, the L&T issued a statement and stated that the partnership will leverage its expertise in developing strategic defence and aerospace platforms, along with BEL’s experience in defence electronics and systems, to jointly contribute to India’s 5th-generation fighter aircraft programme.  Marking a significant milestone in advancing India’s defence capabilities, the company said that by combining the strengths of the two leading defence technology providers, the partnership seeks to deliver a cutting-edge, high- quality solution.  L&T and BEL have played pivotal role in India’s indigenous Light Combat Aircraft programme by supplying major aero-structure modules and developing mission-critical avionics and electronic systems.

“Building on this legacy, the consortium will bring proven expertise and commitment to timely delivery of world-class defence and aerospace platforms for the Indian Air Force.” Commenting on the development, S N Subrahmanyan, Chairman & Managing Director, L&T, said: “The collaboration with BEL marks a significant leap in our commitment to the modernisation of India's defence capabilities.”

“We are honoured to be working with BEL to deliver next-generation technologies for the Indian Air Force. Both the organisations are leaders in our respective domains and our combined efforts will play a crucial role in bolstering national security and advancing self-reliance in defence technologies”. 

Manoj Jain, Chairman & Managing Director, Bharat Electronics Limited, said: “The AMCA project represents India’s growing capabilities in defence technology. Our collaboration with L&T is a crucial step in realising this vision.”

“With L&T’s engineering and systems integration capabilities and BEL’s expertise in defence electronics, we are confident of delivering a world-class solution that will serve the Indian Air Force for decades to come”.