Overview
- The AMCA integration and flight-testing complex, which broke ground Friday in Puttaparthi, will be developed by the Aeronautical Development Agency under DRDO.
- State and defence releases say the ₹15,803 crore project spans nearly 650 acres and is expected to create about 7,500 jobs and a new township in Sri Sathya Sai district.
- At the ceremony, officials also detailed new defence investments, including Bharat Dynamics’ ₹480 crore naval systems unit, HFCL’s ₹1,294 crore fuse plant, and Agneyastra’s ₹1,500 crore energetics facility.
- Andhra Pradesh promoted a Drone City at Kurnool and set aside 400 acres for AMCA-linked suppliers, with the state projecting major private investment to build out the supply chain.
- AMCA is India’s homegrown fifth-generation stealth fighter program, with a first prototype expected around 2028 and induction targeted near 2035, and the new hub adds advanced test capability that only a few countries possess.