HAL Failed Bid To Build India's Stealth Jet On "Routine Technical Grounds": Defence Secretary RK Singh At NDTV Defence Summit

State-run aircraft manufacturer Hindustan Aeronautics (HAL) did not qualify to build prototypes of the indigenous Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft (AMCA), a stealth fighter, on technical grounds, according to India's Defence Secretary. This was, consequently, the first time HAL was kept out of an indigenous fighter-jet project.  In an interview at the NDTV Defence Summit 2026 held in New Delhi on Sunday, RK Singh said, HAL "didn't qualify on some fairly routine technical grounds which they somehow failed to meet." He did not specify what those technical grounds were. At the same time, the Defence Ministry had made a decision to open up the manufacturing of the futuristic platform to the private sector. "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.