The tender will pave way for HAL to offer a techno-commercial bid that will then be negotiated with the defence ministry before being finalised. HAL is the sole company given the tender, which is being processed under the Single Vendor Contract (SVC) route.
The Army and Air Force will get 156 of the `Prachand’ helicopters that have been designed specifically for Indian conditions and have showed good performance at super high altitude areas during trials in Ladakh.
The LCH is expected to be India’s mainstay combat chopper for the next 3 to 4 decades. The indigenous product will reduce import dependence for combat helicopters in the country and is expected to have good potential for export orders as well.
“This helicopter is equipped with requisite agility, manoeuvrability, extended range, high altitude performance and around-the-clock, all-weather combat capability to perform roles of Combat Search and Rescue (CSAR), Destruction of Enemy Air Defence (DEAD), Counter Insurgency (CI) operations, against slow moving aircraft and Remotely Piloted Aircraft (RPAs), high altitude bunker busting operations, Counter Insurgency operations in jungle and urban environments and support to ground forces,” officials say.
The indigenous content by value for the choppers is likely to cross the 55 percent mark initially and would be progressively increased in coming years. In 2022, the government had placed orders for 15 Light Combat Helicopters on HAL, at a cost of Rs 3,887 Cr, which included infrastructure sanctions worth Rs 377 Cr.
