LCH: Why India needed Light Combat Helicopter after Kargil War?

LCH induction in IAF: The induction of the Light Combat Helicopter (LCH) manufactured by the Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) into the Indian Air Force (IAF) will certainly strengthen the country’s air and border security. The IAF was waiting for this project for a long time. The LCH helicopter is armed to the teeth with several features and a host of weapons. Many types of weapons can be fitted in the LCH. The biggest feature of the LCH is that it is light in weight. Because of this, the LCH is more agile than most other helicopters. It can also fly at an altitude of 5,000 meters. This feature can prove to be very costly for the enemy. The ability to fly at this height means that the LCH will be able to access remote areas such as Siachen and Ladakh. With the help of these helicopters, the IAF will be able to fire various types of missiles and other weapons at the enemies. The indigenous Light Combat Helicopter (LCH) is manufactured by Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) for use in the Indian Air Force and the Indian Army. It is a multi-role attack helicopter during the war. Its flight capability is the highest among attack helicopters in the world. The need for a helicopter like the LCH was felt by the IAF and Indian Army during the Kargil war in 1999. At that time the enemy was in a better position as the Pakistan Army was sitting at a superior height. This meant that the Indian Army took some time to win this war as they had to fight uphill. During the Kargil war, the Indian forces realized that they lacked a suitable helicopter that could operate at high altitudes. Thus Hindustan Aeronautics (HAL) began efforts to produce a helicopter for the Indian Army that could operate in such conditions. The 5.8-tonne twin-engined helicopter has already completed trials of firing from various weapons, IAF officials said. The length of this two-pilot helicopter is about 52 feet. The width is about 15 feet and the height is about 15 feet. The weight of this helicopter without weapons is about 2250 kg. Whereas weapons weighing 1750 kg can be loaded in it. The engine of the LCH has been developed by Hindustan Aeronautics Limited named Turbomeca Shakti-1H1 and Turboshaft which gives it the power of 1032 kW. The maximum speed of this helicopter is 330 kmph. With weapons, it can cover a distance of about 550 km at a time. It has a 1X20 mm M621 cannon. Apart from this, Air to Air Missile Mistral, Anti Tank Guided Missile Dhruvastra, Cluster Bomb, Unguided Bomb, Grenade Bomb can be fired. This helicopter has a missile approach warning system, which gives information about the missile coming towards it. It has a Saab radar and laser warning system. It also has the Elbit Compass optoelectronic suite manufactured by Israel. It is a sensor and camera that provides various types of live information to the pilot. Read all the Latest News , Trending News ,  Cricket News , Bollywood News , India News and Entertainment News here. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.