“We would like to inform that, Request for Proposal (RFP) has been issued by the Ministry of Defence for procurement of 156 Light Combat Helicopter,” the official statement of the company said.
Of the 156 LCH requested by the Defence Ministry, 90 are being procured for the Indian Army (IA) while the remaining 66 are for the Indian Air Force (IAF), said HAL’s official statement.
Earlier, Defence Ministry Rajnath Singh after assuming charge again for the second straight time announced that the aim will be to further strengthen the security apparatus of the country, with focus on achieving self-reliance in defence manufacturing. “Armed Forces modernisation and the welfare of the soldiers, both serving and retired, will continue to be our main focus,” he said.
Key features of Light Combat Helicopter:
The LCH, also known as Prachand, has similarities with the Advanced Light Helicopter Dhruv. It has a number of stealth features, armoured protection systems, night attack capability and crash-worthy landing gear for better survivability.
The LCH is equipped with requisite agility, manoeuvrability, extended range, high altitude performance and all-weather combat capability to perform a range of roles including combat search and rescue (CSAR), destruction of enemy air defence (DEAD) and counter-insurgency (CI) operations.The helicopter can also be deployed in high-altitude bunker-busting operations, counter-insurgency operations in the jungles and urban environments as well as for supporting ground forces. Additionally, the helicopter can also be used against slow-moving aircraft and remotely piloted aircraft (RPAs) of adversaries.Several key aviation technologies like a glass cockpit and composite airframe structure have been indigenised.
(with agency inputs)
