Bengaluru: Amid simmering border row with China in eastern Ladakh since early May, state-owned plane maker Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) made two Light Combat Helicopters (LCH) have been deployed for operations at high altitude in the Leh sector at short notice to support Indian Air Force (IAF) missions.
“It is the lightest attack helicopter in the world designed and developed by HAL to meet the specific and unique requirements of Indian Armed Forces reflecting the crucial role of HAL in Atma Nirbhar Bharat,” HAL CMD R Madhavan said.
IAF vice chief Air Marshal Harjit Singh Arora took part in one such operation along with HAL test pilot, Wg Cdr Subash P John (Retd) recently by taking-off from high altitude location to a forward area for a simulated attack on a high altitude target.
This was followed by a landing at one of the most treacherous helipads in the region.
The LCH successfully demonstrated its quick deployment prowess to forward locations in extreme temperatures.
The LCH is a potent weapon platform because of its state-of-the-art systems and highly accurate weapons that are capable of hitting any type of target by day or night.
The other features of LCH include its ability to operate in the complete ‘Area of Responsibility’ (AOR) and altitudes.
It has capability to carry adequate weapon load at high altitudes under varied conditions. All these characteristics make it most suitable for hot and high altitude operations, the plane maker said in a statement.
The IAF and the Indian Army together need around 160 LCHs.
The Defence Acquisition Council (DAC) had approved the proposal for initial batch of 15 LCHs.
The IAF issued Request for Proposal (RFP) for 15 Limited Series Production (LSP) helicopter (10 for IAF and 5 for Army) and HAL had submitted its response.
Technical evaluation and the price negotiations have been concluded and the order is expected shortly. However, as a proactive measure HAL has launched production of LSPs in anticipation of orders at its Bengaluru facility.
