Indian MoD signs for 156 Light Combat Helicopters
April 4, 2025
The HAL Prachand (literally ‘Intense’) LCH will provide a major boost to India’s combat capabilities and will further enhance the nation’s self reliance in defence. In particular, the LCH will improve operational capabilities at high altitudes, augmenting the Army’s Boeing AH-64E Apache Guardians.
The LCH incorporates more than 65% indigenous content, and the programme involves more than 250 domestic companies, creating more than 8,500 jobs. This makes it a vital element in India’s Make in India policy.
The development of the Prachand was triggered by the Kargil War in 1999, which revealed that the Indian Armed Forces lacked an armed rotorcraft capable of unrestricted operations in the high-altitude theatre
In early 2004, Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) revealed that the company was in discussions with the Indian armed forces for a potential light combat helicopter derivative of the company’s Dhruv utility helicopter platform. HAL announced that it had embarked on the development of the Light Combat Helicopter (LCH) in 2006. A first flight was repeatedly delayed, and plans for a December 2010 initial operating capability (IOC) date were abandoned.
The first LCH prototype made its maiden flight on 29 March 2010, beginning what would be an extensive test programme, involving a total of four prototypes.
During the course of the test programme, the LCH became the first attack helicopter to land in Siachen, at altitudes of up to 15,800 feet.
The LCH completed its performance trials during mid-2016, paving the way for certification.
Full-scale production of the LSP (limited series production) variant of Prachand was inaugurated by Defence Minister Arun Jaitley on 26 August 2017, and the aircraft received initial operation clearance (IOC) on the same day.
Weapons trials were completed on 17 January 2019, and LCH was declared ready for production in February 2020. Some 15 Limited Series Production variants were built for the Army (five) and Air Force (ten) after the Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) approved it on 30 March 2022.
The Ministry of Defence issued a Request for Proposal (RFP) for 156 additional helicopters on 17 June 2024, leading to the recent order.
The photos accompanying this piece were taken by AGN’s good friend, Angad Singh, to whom we owe a debt of gratitude.
