Chetak helicopters have served the Indian armed forces well for the last 60 years. The IAF inducted the French-origin helicopters, called Alouette III, in 1962 and the state-run Hindustan Aeronautics (HAL) handed over its first licence-produced Chetak (Alouette III) to IAF in 1965.
Majority of the fleet of the 186 Chetak and over 200 of Cheetah lie in the vintage category, serving for over 40 years now. And they will continue to fly for the next few decades more as the forces are still ordering, given the lack of options.
Chetak lacks modern helicopter features like moving map display, ground proximity warning system, and weather radar, besides an auto-pilot system.
During the past 10 years, around 15 Chetak and Cheetah helicopters have crashed, killing several pilots even as it remains as the workhorse of the armed forces — flying over the sea or Siachen Glacier. In 2022 alone, at least five Army pilots have lost their lives in air crashes.
HAL Light Utility Helicopter
In November 2021, the defence ministry approved the procurement of 12 Light Utility Helicopters (LUH) from HAL. These helicopters will eventually replace the nearly 400 Chetak and Cheetah in use. These 12 new choppers will come under a limited series production configuration even as India’s overall demand for LUHs, meant for transportation of men and supplies to high-altitude areas besides evacuation and reconnaissance, is estimated to be over 400. This means that it will be years before the entire fleet of Chetak and Cheetah are replaced.
Of the nearly 400 helicopters that the armed forces require, only half of them were to be supplied by HAL and the rest were to come through a joint venture with Russia under the Make in India route — for Kamov 226T. But the government-to-government deal in 2015 hangs in balance over indigenous content and cost.
The Navy was keen to replace them and the process was initiated under the strategic partnership model, only to be delayed by HAL’s attempt to enter the race.
Light Combat Helicopter
The cabinet committee on security, on 30 March 2022, cleared the purchase of 15 light combat helicopters (LCH) for the Indian air force (IAF) and the army from HAL at a cost of Rs 3,887 crore.
The approval for the 15 limited series production (LSP) helicopters came along with infrastructure sanctions worth Rs 377 crore.
LCH has indigenous content of 45% by value, which will progressively increase to more than 55% for the series production version.
HAL expects follow-up orders as the IAF and army have a combined projected requirement of 160 LCHs, officials familiar with the matter said. Of the initial 15 LSP helicopters approved for purchase, 10 are for the IAF and five for the army.
LCH figures on the government’s negative import list that seeks to ban the import of different types of weapons, systems and ammunition over the next five years to boost self-reliance in defence.
LCH is specifically designed for operating in mountainous and high-altitude areas. Its capability to deliver armament at altitudes in excess of 15,000 feet makes it unique in the world.
LCH can perform a raft of missions such as destruction of enemy air defences, targeting slow moving aircraft and remotely piloted aircraft, destroying high-altitude bunkers, carrying out counter-insurgency operations in jungle and urban environments aside from providing support to ground forces, the ministry said, adding that it would be a potent platform for the two services.
Order for More Combat Helicopters
Impressed with the performance of the armed version of the ALH, the IAF plans to buy more such copters for high-altitude operations in the Himalayas and the desert sector on the western front.
The copter, which is called the ALH Mark-IV version and is known by its military name ‘Rudra’, was used in Eastern Ladakh during the stand-off with China. The IAF has one squadron of 14 to 16 copters and is looking to get at least three more squadrons. The Army also operates the ‘Rudra’.
HAL LCH is a dedicated attack helicopter while Rudra is a Weapon Systems Integrated Variant or an armed variant of ALH Dhruv, more suited for armed scouting roles in a secured environment while LCH is more suited for high-risk operations in hostile airspace which includes close-air support missions, high-altitude warfare and anti-armor missions.
Role and Features
The LCH has the maximum possible commonality with ALH. The attack helicopter has a pilot and co-pilot sitting in tandem position (one behind the other). The helicopter has several stealth features and has armour protection, night attack capability and crash worthy landing gear to give it better survivability.
It is powered by two Shakti engines and has a maximum take off weight of 5,800 kg. With a maximum speed of 268 km per hour it has a range of 550 km and an operational ceiling of 6.5 kms. Armed with air-to-air and air-to-ground missiles, LCH also has a 20 mm gun and 70 mm rockets. With a full glass cockpit, the LCH has an Electronic Warfare suite and helmet mounted display for the flying crew.
The LCH is well suited for anti-tank role wherein it can fly low and fast to attack enemy armour columns and destroy them. As per HAL, it is also suitable for scout role wherein it can fly ahead of advancing columns of the Army and detect enemy presence. It is also suitable for air defence roles and destruction of enemy air defence assets. It can also be used in urban warfare missions and combat search and rescue operations.
Genesis and Development
The genesis of the LCH lies in the Kargil conflict of 1999 when the absence of an attack helicopter which could operate in ultra-high altitude areas was felt acutely by the Indian Army and the Indian Air Force (IAF). The intruding Pakistan Army troops had occupied various heights on the Indian side of the Line of Control but the existing Russian-made attack helicopters in the inventory of the Indian military did not have the operational ceiling which permitted their deployment at those heights. The IAF was forced to use the MI-17 helicopters in a modified role against those heights and suffered the loss of a helicopter when it was fired upon by the enemy.
The first ground run of the first prototype of the LCH took place in February 2010 and a month later the first flight test of the helicopter also took place. A third prototype was further tested in November 2014 with integrated weapon platforms and sensors. This version was a considerably improved one with lighter weight and advanced configurations. In the coming year further hot weather and cold weather tests were done on the helicopter in Rajasthan and Ladakh and a fourth prototype was tested in November 2015.
It was in January 2019 that HAL gave the go ahead for the operational deployment of the helicopter after all systems had been fully integrated and checked for performance. The defence minister inaugurated the LCH production hangar at HAL Bengaluru in February 2020. The production line is reportedly geared up to deliver up to 30 helicopters a year.
Overhaul of Mi-17 Helicopters to be Outsourced
The IAF is outsourcing the repair and overhaul of its Russian-origin Mi-17V5 helicopters, which form the backbone of its medium-lift rotary component, to the private industry to overcome the shortfall in the IAF’s existing in-house capacity. The entire overhaul process as mandated, after receiving the helicopter from the IAF to post-overhaul flight test till final acceptance by the IAF, will be the responsibility of the private firm.
At present, the Mi-17 helicopters are overhauled at No.3 Base Repair Deport (BRD) in Chandigarh, which is the largest helicopter maintenance establishment for Soviet or Russian origin helicopters, including the older variants of the Mi-17 and the Mi-25/35 gunships.
The IAF has a large fleet of Mi-17 helicopters comprising three variants, but the existing capacity of 3 BRD is limited and a significant number of the latest variant, the V5, have to be sent overseas for major overhaul.
Established in 1962, 3 BRD has been repairing, overhauling, modifying and retrofitting the Mi-17 series, their engines and aggregates since 1991. The Depot also assembled and flight tested the V5 version after they were inducted in 2012. In 2019, a new assembly line became operational at the depot for overhauling the Mi-17V5.
In addition to the indigenization of various types of aero-spares to cut dependence on imports, the depot has also upgraded and modified helicopters to enhance their capability for meeting various operational requirements. Several such projects have been executed by the depot over the past years, including modifying five M-17V5s for VVIP transport to ferry the president, vive-president and the prime minister.
The IAF operates about 150 of the latest V5 variant that are among the most advanced helicopters in the world, incorporating a complex navigation and electronic warfare suite. Like the earlier variants, they can also be armed with external rocket pods, missiles and machine guns.
