Each helicopter will cost Rs 260 crore, provide firepower to support infantry
By Vikas Gupta
Defence News of India, 31 Mar 22
The Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) met in New Delhi on Wednesday and approved the procurement of 15 Light Combat Helicopters (LCH) for Rs 3,887 crore, or about Rs 260 crore each. The CCS has also approved the establishment of infrastructure worth Rs 377 crore.
“Light Combat Helicopter Limited Series Production (LSP) is a modern, state-of-the-art, locally designed, developed and manufactured combat helicopter containing approximately 45% indigenous content by value, which will gradually increase to over 55% for the SP (serial production) version,” a Ministry of Defense (MoD) press release said today.
Beyond the preliminary order of 15 LSP helicopters, the Indian Air Force (IAF) and the army have jointly forecast an SP requirement of 162 LCH: 65 for the IAF and 97 for the army.
The 15 LCHs of the LSP command will be tested by IAF and army pilots to assess their performance and capabilities. These pilots will provide operational performance information and recommend incremental improvements that HAL can introduce to LCHs that will be mass-produced on a final production line.
Stating that the LCH would be a powerful platform to meet the operational requirements of the Indian Air Force (IAF) and Indian Army, the Ministry of Defense said: “This helicopter is equipped with the agility, maneuverability, extended range, high-altitude performance, and approximately 24-hour, all-weather combat capability to perform combat search and rescue (CSAR), destruction Enemy Air Defense (DEAD), Counter-Insurgency (CI) Operations, (Operations Against Slow-moving Aircraft and Remotely Piloted Aircraft (RPA)), High Altitude Bunker Destruction Operations, CI Operations in jungle and urban environments and support to ground forces.
The MoD announced that the LCH has integrated stealth features such as reduced visual, sound, radar and infrared (IR) signatures and crash resistant features for better survivability.
Key aircraft technologies, such as a glass cockpit and composite airframe structure, have been indigenized into the LCH.
The Ministry of Defense has announced that the manufacture of LCH by HAL will boost the Atmanirbhar Bharat (Self-Governing India) initiative and the Indian defense industry. “LCH production will reduce import dependency for helicopter gunships in the country,” the Defense Department said, noting the recent purchase of 22 Apache AH-64Es from The Boeing Company.
Light combat helicopters are already on the Defense Ministry’s list of defense products subject to import embargo. “With its built-in multipurpose capabilities for combat missions, LCH has export capability,” the MoD said.
Speaking to Defence News of India, HAL Chief R Madhavan said the LCH is the lightest attack helicopter in the world, designed specifically to meet the demands of the Indian Army. The 5.8 ton twin-pilot helicopter can operate at altitudes of 20,000 feet, higher than any other attack helicopter in the world. Having demonstrated the ability to operate from helipads 15,000 feet high above the Siachen Glacier, the LCH is an ideal weapons platform for supporting the army in areas like Galwan and Daulat Beg Oldi in eastern Ladakh, where our soldiers are fighting Chinese intruders.
Infantrymen at these oxygen-deprived altitudes cannot carry heavy weapons over long distances, but a high-altitude attack helicopter would provide them with fire support, using its on-board 20-millimeter turret gun, its 70 millimeter rockets and its air-to-air missiles. It can also carry an anti-tank guided missile (ATGM) and the IAF is close to selecting one.
To deliver precise firepower on the enemy, the LCH is integrated with state-of-the-art aiming systems, including an electro-optical pod and a helmet-mounted display that allows a pilot to aim at a target simply by looking at it. .
LCH pilots are protected by armored panels, self-sealing fuel tanks, a bulletproof windshield, damage-resistant rotor blades and a main gearbox that can operate for 30 minutes even after a bullet hit him and drains the oil. The LCH also has an electronic warfare system that detects incoming missiles and confuses them by dispersing flares and chaff.
