NEW DELHI, June 19 -- The Aeronautical Development Agency (ADA) on Wednesday invited expression of interest (EOI) for the development of the advanced medium combat aircraft (AMCA) to shortlist Indian companies capable of building prototypes and supporting flight test and certification of the indigenous fifth-generation stealth fighter. The ADA, which comes under the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), is executing the AMCA programme through industry partnerships. The applicant may be a single company, joint venture or a consortium of companies, compliant with Indian laws and regulations, the EOI document seen by HT said. "Reputed Indian companies experienced in 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," it said. The shortlisted entity must be capable of setting up a manufacturing facility for the series production of AMCA, the EOI said. "The duration of the contract for development, prototyping, flight test and certification of AMCA shall not exceed eight years from the effective date of contract." A pre-EOI meeting will be held in the first week of July to provide an opportunity to the Indian firms to seek clarifications about the project. The approval of the industry partnership model by defence minister Rajnath Singh came at a critical moment as state-run plane maker Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) was till then believed to be the frontrunner for the project. The first prototype of the stealth fighter is expected to make its maiden flight in 2029....