New Delhi, Sept. 25 -- Larsen & Toubro (L&T) on Wednesday announced a strategic partnership with the state-owned Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL) to pursue the development of India's fifth-generation stealth fighter jet, adding that the collaboration marks a significant milestone in advancing the country's defence capabilities in sync with the government's Atmanirbhar Bharat (self-reliant India) vision. The consortium will now submit a response to a call for expressions of interest (EoI) by the Aeronautical Development Agency (ADA) for building prototypes and supporting flight test and certification of the indigenous stealth fighter or the Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft (AMCA) project. The deadline for public and private sector firms to respond to the EoI is September 30. "The partnership will leverage L&T's 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," L&T said in a statement. The ADA invited EOI in June to shortlist Indian companies to kick-start the stealth fighter project, weeks after the defence ministry unveiled its long-awaited plan to fast-track the development of AMCA and announced that the execution model will be competitive and provide equal opportunities to public and private sector firms. The ADA, which comes under the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), is executing the programme through industry partnership. The L&T-BEL combine will compete with other firms eyeing the project. "Reputed Indian companies experienced in the aerospace and defence sector with capability to absorb the design of AMCA and have adequate experience in the field of development & engineering, manufacturing, equipping, integration, testing, quality management, customer support etc will be shortlisted," the EoI states. After evaluating the responses to the EOI, ADA will issue a request for quotation to the firms and evaluate their responses before negotiating a contract with one of them for building five prototypes and one structural test specimen. The first prototype is expected to make its maiden flight in 2029, and AMCA's development is likely to be completed by 2034 before it enters production a year later. "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," L&T chairman SN Subrahmanyan said. The approval of the industry partnership model in May by defence minister Rajnath Singh came at a critical moment as Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) was till then believed to be the front-runner for the project. The execution model has unlocked new possibilities for the local aerospace industry, including firms such as L&T, Adani Defence and Aerospace, the Mahindra Group and Tata Advanced Systems Limited. As many as 28 private sector firms have lined up to partner with HAL for the AMCA project, and the aircraft maker has formed a committee to draw up a shortlist of a maximum of two companies to form a consortium to pursue one of the country's most significant military projects, as first reported by HT....