Prachand: New guardians for India's skies as LCH gets inducted into IAF

LCH induction in IAF: True to its nature and ability, the indigenous Light Attack Helicopter (LCH) that was formally inducted into the Indian Air Force has been named ‘Prachand’.

October 3, ie today, is a very special day in India’s journey towards becoming self-reliant in the defence sector. Defence Minister Rajnath Singh handed over the first batch of indigenous attack helicopter LCH to the Indian Air Force (IAF) after a Sarva Dharma Puja programme - a time honoured tradition in the Indian armed forces. On this occasion, along with Defense Minister Rajnath Singh, the country’s new CDS General Anil Chauhan and Chief of Air Staff Chief Marshal VR Chaudhary were also present at the program held at the Jodhpur Airbase.

नाम है ‘प्रचंड’ pic.twitter.com/dCa3WGvw9A

— Rajnath Singh (@rajnathsingh) October 3, 2022

On Monday, 10 LCH helicopters were inducted into the Indian Air Force (IAF) that will be posted in Jodhpur close to the border with Pakistan.

The Cabinet Committee on Security, headed by PM Modi, had approved the purchase of 15 indigenous Light Attack Helicopters (LCH) in March this year. These LCH helicopters have been purchased from Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) for 3387 crores. Of these, 10 helicopters are for the Indian Air Force (IAF) while 5 are for the Indian Army.

The LCH has been developed by Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL), a public sector undertaking. It is primarily designed to be deployed in high altitude areas. It has among many ‘stealth’ (radar evasion) features,
armored protection system, night attack and emergency landing capability. Being lightweight, it can operate comfortably in high altitude areas fully loaded with missiles and other weapons.

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The need for the LCH was first felt by the Indian Army and the IAF during the Kargil war in 1999. During the Kargil war, the Indian armed 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.

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