On the sidelines of Aero-India Gen Pande told a group of journalists the army would be inducting the LCHs for deployment in narrow valleys in high-altitude areas as the rotary wing of home-grown combat aircraft has better manoeuvrability for mountainous regions.

He said the army needs around 110 light utility helicopters (LUH) and 90 to 95 light combat helicopters (LCH) that will be built by state-run plane maker Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL).

LUH will replace the army and the Indian Air Force’s ageing fleets of Cheetah and Chetak helicopters. HAL expects the army and IAF to place combined orders for at least 187 light helicopters in the coming years. Currently, the Cheetah and Chetak helicopters are a critical lifeline for troops in high-altitude areas, including the Siachen glacier.

The army has already ordered six limited series production LUH and repeat orders will follow based on the performance of the first lot of helicopters, Pande said. “We need it to be equipped with some more capabilities. HAL is working on it,” the army chief said.

HAL has already been awarded a contract for 15 limited series production LCH – 10 for IAF and five for the army. The plane maker expects follow-on orders as the army and IAF have a combined projected requirement of 160 such helicopters. LCH has an indigenous content of 45% by value, which will progressively increase to more than 55% for the series production version.

The LCH is the right fit for the army’s requirements in the mountains, Pande said. He said integrating the locally developed anti-tank guided missile (ATGM), Helina, with the LCH is a priority.

The 5.8-tonne twin-engine chopper is capable of destroying enemy tanks, bunkers, drones and other assets in high-altitude regions. The helicopter possesses modern stealth characteristics, robust armour protection and formidable night attack capability. It is capable of operating even in Siachen, the world’s highest battlefield.

The army is also set to induct next year six Apache AH64E attack helicopters, he said. The Boeing-manufactured helicopters cost upwards of ₹4,100 crore. Armed with fire-and-forget Hellfire missiles, the Apache can track up to 128 targets a minute and prioritise threats. The missiles equip the gunships with heavy anti-armour capabilities.

IMRH, which will also be manufactured at Tumakuru factory, is expected to compete with Russian Mi-17 choppers in both Indian and foreign markets. HAL says the platform could have a huge market as nearly 40 air forces across the world operate Mi-17 type helicopters. The Mi-17 is the mainstay of the IAF’s transport fleet.

The Army Aviation Corps – often described as the Indian Army’s mini air force and was a subject of cold war between the Indian Army and IAF – currently operates four squadrons of weaponised versions of Advanced Lightweight Helicopters besides the Cheetahs and Chetaks.

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According to its makers, the LCH is the only attack helicopter in the world which can land and take off at an altitude of 5,000 meters with a considerable load of weapons and fuel, meeting the specific requirements laid out by the Indian Armed Forces.

Here is the story of its development by state-owned Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd (HAL), its unique features, its importance as a strategic asset and the road it faces ahead.

Genesis of the Light Combat Helicopter

It was during the 1999 Kargil war that the need was first felt for a homegrown lightweight assault helicopter that could hold precision strikes in all Indian battlefield scenarios. This meant a craft that could operate in very hot deserts and also in very cold high altitudes, in counter-insurgency scenarios to full-scale battle conditions.

India has been operating sub 3 ton category French-origin legacy helicopters, Chetak and Cheetah, made in India by the HAL. These single engine machines were, primarily, utility helicopters. Indian forces also operate the Lancer, an armed version of Cheetah. In addition, the Indian Air Force currently operates the Russian origin Mi-17 and its variants Mi-17 IV and Mi-17 V5, with maximum take off weight of 13 tonnes, which are to be phased out starting 2028.

But the requirement was for a more agile, multi-role dedicated attack helicopter. After the initial deliberations, the government sanctioned the LCH project in October 2006, and HAL was tasked to develop it. The HAL’s Rotary Wing Research and Development Centre, which had already worked on the Advanced Light Helicopter (ALH) Dhruva and its weaponised version ALH Rudra, embarked upon the project.

The development of Light Combat Helicopter

The LCH has been designed as a twin-engine, dedicated combat helicopter of 5.8-ton class, thus categorised as light. It features a narrow fuselage and tandem — one behind the other — configuration for pilot and co-pilot. The copilot is also the Weapon Systems Operator (WSO). While LCH inherits many features of the ALH, it mainly differs in tandem cockpit configuration, making it sleeker. It also has many more state-of-art systems that make it a dedicated attack helicopter.

In the LCH’s journey towards clearance and induction by the IAF and the Army, extensive flight testing has been carried out on four prototypes, also known as Technology Demonstrators (TDs).

The first Technology Demonstrator was completed in February 2010 and took its first flight on March 29 the same year. TD-2 prototype, completed around 2012, successfully passed the cold weather trials at high altitude. TD-3 and TD-4 prototypes, completed around 2014 and 2015, successfully tested other flight test requirements.

HAL officials said that the flight testing was carried out at various altitudes, from sea level to the Siachen range, in extreme cold and hot weather conditions, and in desert regions. During these tests, integration of mission sensors such as electro-optical system, helmet-mounted display system, solid state data and video recorder, and weapon systems such as turret gun, rockets and air-to-air missile systems was carried out. Weapon firing trials were also completed. The four prototypes have together undergone over 2,000 flights with close to 1600 flight hours.

Initial operational clearance came in 2017 for the IAF variant and in 2019 for the Army variant. In August 2020, the MoD added LCH to the items under import embargo. In November 2021, Prime Minister Narendra Modi symbolically handed over the LCH to the Indian Air Force, paving the way for its final induction.

In March this year, the Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) approved procurement of 15 LCH Limited Series Production (LSP) — 10 for IAF and five for Army — at the cost of Rs 3,887 crore along with infrastructure sanctions worth Rs 377 crore.

Features, significance of the Light Combat Helicopter

LCH has the maximum take-off weight of 5.8 tonnes, maximum speed of 268 kilometers per hour, range of 550 kilometers, endurance of over three hours and service ceiling — the maximum density altitude to which it can fly — of 6.5 kilometres.

The helicopter uses radar-absorbing material to lower radar signature and has a significantly crash-proof structure and landing gear. A pressurised cabin offers protection from nuclear, biological and chemical (NBC) contingencies.

The helicopter is equipped with a countermeasure dispensing system that protects it from enemy radars or infrared seekers of the enemy missiles. As far as weapons systems are concerned, a 20 mm turret gun, 70 mm rockets and air-to-air missile systems are onboard.

LCH is powered by two French-origin Shakti engines manufactured by the HAL.

With these features, the LCH has the capabilities of combat roles such as destruction of enemy air defence, counter insurgency warfare, combat search and rescue, anti-tank, and counter surface force operations.

The road ahead

According to HAL there is a projected requirement of 160 LCHs — 65 for IAF and 95 for Indian Army. After receiving a contract for the LSP in March, some units have already been delivered and the rest are at various stages of acceptance. HAL has said that it has drawn a detailed masterplan for achieving the peak rate production capacity of 30 helicopters per year in order to produce the remaining 145 LCHs in eight years from the date of signing of Series Production order.

For export, the HAL has already obtained a no objection certificate from the Ministry of Defence for countries like Malaysia, Thailand, Vietnam, Angola, Egypt, Indonesia, Ecuador and Nigeria, sources have said.

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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.

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