Larsen & Toubro has formed a strategic partnership with Bharat Electronics (BEL) to support the Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft programme of the Indian Air Force.
In an exchange filing, L&T said on Wednesday that the consortium will participate in the Expression of Interest notice issued by the Union Government’s Aeronautical Development Agency. The company added that the consortium will submit a response in the coming weeks.
Furthermore, L&T elaborated that its partnership with the public sector undertaking will leverage the combined experience of the two companies’ defence aerospace and defence electronics and systems to contribute to the making of India’s 5th-generation fighter aircraft.
S N Subrahmanyan, Chairman & Managing Director, L&T, said in a statement that the collaboration with BEL marks a significant leap in the company’s commitment to the modernisation of India’s defence capabilities.
Both 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,” Subrahmanyan added.
Boost to Make in India
In recent years, the Indian government has been pushing for the larger domestic production of defence technology. The government has planned a capex of $25 billion to $30 billion every year over the next decade to push domestic defence production.
The government says that a strategic partnership between the private and public sector companies remains an important aspect of the success of defence manufacturing in India. Earlier last year, Defence Minister Rajanath Singh said that the government wish to see private industry share at least 50 per cent of the total defence production. He added that it should be our target, and the government stands by the defence companies in making efforts towards achieving this.
AMCA program of Indian Air Force
The Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft programme of the Indian Air Force is one of the most ambitious programmes of India, which is focused on replacing the ageing Mirage-2000s and Jaguars. The Indian Air Force is targeting a production of 125 to 140 fighter jets in the 2030s.
Manoj Jain, Chairman & Managing Director, Bharat Electronics, said that 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,” Jain said