HAL Prachand - Light Combat Helicopter (LCH)

abhi

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HAL plans first flight of lch in 6-7 weeks

BANGALORE: Even as the probe into the crash of HAL’s Advanced Light Helicopter (ALH) in Ecuador concluded, the Bangalore- based defence company is preparing for the first flight of another of its choppers — the Light Combat Helicopter (LCH) — which is currently under development at its helicopter division in the city.


The first prototype of the LCH is expected to undertake its first flight in the coming weeks in Bangalore, said HAL chairman Ashok Nayak.

“The prototype is being built and we are getting ready for the flight of the prototype in another six to seven weeks,” said Nayak. HAL had initially wanted the first flight of the chopper to take place on August 15 this year, to get the initial operational clearance by December 2010 and the final operational clearance a year later, before its induction into the Indian Air Force and the Indian Army.

However, there has been delay mainly due to weight issues. The LCH weighs a bit more than its target of 2.5 tonnes. The weight issues are critical considering that the LCH is being designed to fit into an anti-infantry and anti-armour role for the Indian armed forces.

India is in urgent need of attack helicopters and a global tender floated for the same was cancelled earlier this year.

Among the LCH’s contemporaries are the AgustaWestland T-129, the AH-1 Cobra, the AH-64 Apache and the Denel AH-2 Rooivalk.

http://www.expressbuzz.com/edition/...JI=&SectionName=UOaHCPTTmuP3XGzZRCAUTQ==&SEO=

Guys however I don't like the comparison with apache. Are they not in different class?
 

abhi

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India to test fly light combat helicopters shortly

Bangalore, Dec 14 (PTI) India will shortly test fly the indigenously designed and built Light Combat Helicopter (LCH), which will augment the IAF's fleet of small and highly manoeuvrable rotary flying machines.

A 'baby' of the Bangalore-headquartered defence PSU Hindustan Aeronautics Limited, the first prototype of LCH is expected to take to the skies between December 26 and December 29, a senior HAL official told PTI here today.

HAL has already bagged a firm order to deliver 65 LCH to the IAF and 114 to the Army, company sources said.

Unlike HAL?s Advanced Light Helicopter (ALH) "Dhruv" which has been described as broad and bloated, the LCH is very, very sleek. The new light chopper is currently undergoing functional tests, and is expected to be ready for ground run by December 24.:goodstuff:

http://www.ptinews.com/news/422197_India-to-test-fly-light-combat-helicopters-shortly
 

Anshu Attri

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India to test fly light combat helicopters by month-end
another link....
India to test fly light combat helicopters by month-end

Updated on Monday, December 14, 2009, 10:12 IST Tags:India, Helicopter
Bangalore: India will shortly test fly the indigenously designed and built Light Combat Helicopter (LCH), which will augment the IAF's fleet of small and highly manoeuvrable rotary flying machines.

A 'baby' of the Bangalore-headquartered defence PSU Hindustan Aeronautics Limited, the first prototype of LCH is expected to take to the skies between December 26 and December 29, a senior HAL official told media here today.



HAL has already bagged a firm order to deliver 65 LCH to the IAF and 114 to the Army, company sources said.

Unlike HAL’s Advanced Light Helicopter (ALH) "Dhruv" which has been described as broad and bloated, the LCH is very, very sleek. The new light chopper is currently undergoing functional tests, and is expected to be ready for ground run by December 24.

"It (LCH) is quite different from ALH in terms of configuration and structure," the official closely associated with the project, said on condition of anonymity.

HAL hopes to obtain certification for LCH in 2012-13, and the delivery of the machines is expected from 2014-15.

LCH would also have a weaponised version, similar to ALH
"There will be rocket pods, a machine gun as also an air-to-air missiles in the combat version of LCH. But in the first prototype all these features will not be there," the official said.

HAL has also started design of a light observation helicopter (LOH) which would eventually replace the ageing fleet of Cheetah and Chetak helicopters which have been in service since 1978. "We have got about 600 of them (Cheetah and Chetak) in service now. They are reaching the end of their technical life as they have flown 60,000 hours or more," he said.

India plans to buy 197 LOH helicopters, for which it has short-listed Eurocopter, Augusta Westland and Rosoboronexport. Sources said India is expected to place the order after finalising one of them by next year-end.

HAL has already secured an order to supply 187 LOH. "So, while India will buy 197, HAL will also make 187," officials said.

Meanwhile, HAL officials said platforms offered by major global manufacturers in response to the company’s request for proposals on finding a foreign partner for its proposed medium lift helicopter project were found to be “not exactly meeting our requirements”.

"We are choosing a platform which will be modified to suit our requirement. All the platforms are not exactly meeting our requirement. So, we will have to call them for discussions, freeze the specifications and then tender it out formally," they said.

LCH’s maiden flight comes at a time when helicopter business is booming for HAL, which has already sold 100 numbers of Dhruv, mostly for armed forces, with further order to deliver another 159, worth Rs 15,000 crore.

HAL is mulling to set up more helicopter divisions. "We will have to create infrastructure for making new helicopters. The present infrastructure is full, to the brim. We may not be able to do more there. We will have to put up new facilities for helicopter manufacturing"
 

x11

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The LCH looks very primitive in looks.

Probably it will look good with the Green paint and complete weapons integration.

If it can fly in high altitudes, it will be a shot in the arm for IA in any possible Indo-China limited war.
 

greyhound

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latest on LCH

India will shortly test fly the indigenously designed and built Light Combat Helicopter (LCH), which will augment the IAF’s fleet of small and highly manoeuvrable rotary flying machines.

A ‘baby’ of the Bangalore-headquartered defence PSU Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL), the first prototype of LCH is expected to take to the skies between December 26 and December 29, a senior HAL official told PTI here on Monday.

HAL has already bagged a firm order to deliver 65 LCH to the IAF and 114 to the Army, company sources said.

Unlike HAL’s Advanced Light Helicopter (ALH) “Dhruv” which has been described as broad and bloated, the LCH is very, very sleek. The new light chopper is currently undergoing functional tests, and is expected to be ready for ground run by December 24.

“It (LCH) is quite different from ALH in terms of configuration and structure,” the official closely associated with the project, said on condition of anonymity.

HAL hopes to obtain certification for LCH in 2012-13, and the delivery of the machines is expected from 2014-15.

LCH would also have a weaponised version, similar to ALH.

“There will be rocket pods, a machine gun and also an air-to-air missiles in the combat version of LCH. But in the first prototype all these features will not be there,” the official said.

HAL has also started design of a light observation helicopter (LOH) which would eventually replace the ageing fleet of Cheetah and Chetak helicopters which have been in service since 1978. “We have got about 600 of them (Cheetah and Chetak) in service now. They are reaching the end of their technical life as they have flown 60,000 hours or more,” he said.

:icon_salut:
 

Sridhar

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India to test - fly Light Combat Helicopter in December

Last Updated: Dec 14, 2009
The light combat helicopter, designed and developed by the state-run Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd



BANGALORE (BNS): India is ready to test fly a prototype of the indigenously developed Light Combat Helicopter (LCH) by end of December.

“The first prototype of LCH is expected to take to the skies between December 26 and December 29,” PTI quoted a senior HAL official as saying.

The light combat helicopter, designed and developed by the state-run Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd (HAL), is currently undergoing functional tests and is expected to be ready for ground run by December 24.

LCH is expected to get the initial operational clearance (IOC) by December 2010 and the final operational clearance (FOC) in 2011.

The delivery of the machines expected to begin from 2014 will augment the Indian Air Force (IAF) fleet of small and highly manoeuvrable rotary flying machines.

LCH would also have a weaponised version, similar to ALH. “There will be rocket pods, a machine gun and also air-to-air missiles in the combat version of LCH. But in the first prototype all these features will not be there,” the official said.

HAL has also started design of a light observation helicopter (LOH) which would eventually replace the ageing fleet of Cheetah and Chetak helicopters which have been in service since 1978.

“We have got about 600 of them (Cheetah and Chetak) in service now. They are reaching the end of their technical life as they have flown 60,000 hours or more,” he said.

HAL has already bagged a firm order to deliver 65 LCH to the IAF and 114 to the Army.

India to test - fly Light Combat Helicopter in December :: Brahmand.com
 

notinlove

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Where is the LCH its 26 december ...any photos any news .. anything ??
 

gb009

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I have a question (mostly out of curiosity) for all the helicopter techies :) here..
Unlike a fighter plane which is mostly built around the jet engine (and so does not have much room inside) all/most attack helicopters seem to have lot of empty space.. I have marked these with boxes in the attached photo (used from an earlier post in this thread).

I assume some of this space would go for fuel and electronics, but still lot should be left. So why don't they carry weapons inside? Or is my understanding going wrong somewhere? :(
 

bhramos

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I have a question (mostly out of curiosity) for all the helicopter techies :) here..
Unlike a fighter plane which is mostly built around the jet engine (and so does not have much room inside) all/most attack helicopters seem to have lot of empty space.. I have marked these with boxes in the attached photo (used from an earlier post in this thread).

I assume some of this space would go for fuel and electronics, but still lot should be left. So why don't they carry weapons inside? Or is my understanding going wrong somewhere? :(
you are correct, they will carry medical kits, weapons , ration for ground troops, they can also carry may be upto 2 soldiers on their wings.
i'll get it with pics and proofs soon.
 

bhramos

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Mi-28 Transport Room



where weapons can be taken and reload them when weapons are empty without going back to base.
 

bhramos

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Some of pics of Soldiers carring on wings.



Apache in Iraq.



A-129
 

enlightened1

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Okay 29th of December is almost over now, should we expect something in tomorrow's newspapers? :)
 

Anshu Attri

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http://www.indiastrategic.in/topstories449.htm
Bangalore. India’s state-owned aeronautical and defence major Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd (HAL) is planning an investment of Rs.25,000 crores ($ 6 billion approx) over the next decade to enhance its design and production capability for different types of aircraft, including rotary wing machines.

Revealing this, HAL Chairman & Managing Director Ashok Nayak pointed out that HAL already had a robust order book of around Rs.55,000 crores ($ 12.2 billion approx) and that major investments and initiatives were aimed at acquiring the best in technology.
Giving details of various projects HAL is currently working on, he said that upgradation and reengineering of the Anglo-French deep penetration strike aircraft (DPSA) Jaguar in service with the Indian Air Force (IAF) was on while preparations for the production of the Intermediate Jet Trainer (IJT) Sitara was also on the its radar.
Of course, the Indian defence ministry is yet to initiate the process for the evaluation and finalization of an appropriate engine for boosting the strike capability and service life of Jaguar.
IAF wants the Rolls Royce engine already powering it either to have additional boost through upgradation or a new engine. Rolls Royce is competing for this project now with US Honeywell.
HAL has already an order for 12 LSP (Limited Series Production) Intermediate Jet Trainers (IJTs) from IAF. Featuring a glass cockpit, Sitara would replace the ageing fleet of Kiran as the platform for stage two training. Powered by a custom-made Russian origin AL-551 engine, Sitara would help the Indian combat pilots to graduate to a supersonic fighter. “The IJT project has demonstrated HAL’s capability to design and build a trainer aircraft on time,” observed Nayak.
And of course, IAF and HAL are also testing the trainer version of the Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) which would eventually train both IAF and Navy pilots.
In the days ahead, remarked Nayak, HAL would do a lot more outsourcing.
“Infrastructure in the Indian private industry is also coming up. We would like to make use of that,” he noted.
Nayak specified that “HAL is no way trying to do a monopoly.” Apparently, he was reacting to the observation of Vice Chief of Air Staff Air Marshal Pranab Kumar Barbora who recently said that the Government support and focus to HAL was affecting the growth of private sector aerospace manufacturers.
But as the only aviation body of its type in the country, HAL has also been designated as the integrartor for the Medium Multi Role Combat Aircraft (M-MRCA), for which IAF, DRDO and HAL experts are now evaluating six aircraft. The IAF RfP is for 126 aircraft with 63 more in options. But as the IAF is fast losing its outdated Soviet-vintage combat jets to obsolescence, it could eventually order some 300 or so of the selected aircraft.
In the fray are Boeing’s F-18 Super Hornet and Lockheed Martin’s F 16 Super Viper IN from the US, Eurofighter from the four-nations consortium of Germany, Spain, Italy and Britain, Gripen from Sweden, Rafale from France and Mig 35 from Russia.
Another high profile project with HAL is the Light Combat Helicopter (LCH), being developed as a follow up to the 5.5-tonne class multi role Advanced Light Helicopter (ALH) Dhruv. It’s prototype is now getting ready for its maiden flight in a “few weeks’ time”.
Featuring advanced technological elements including a glass cockpit, LCH has been specifically designed to fit into anti-infantry and anti-armour role.
Powered by a high performance Shakti (Ariden) engine developed in tieup with the French engine major Turbomeca, LCH will also be capable of operating from high altitude battle fields. The helicopter will have a substantial component of composite materials to withstand the rough, cold weather.
HAL hopes to sell 65 of these high altitude gunships equipped with helmet mounted targeting systems, electronic warfare systems and advanced weapons and missiles. LCH will have two pilots in tandem, missionized cockpit seats
. The Dhruv though has side-by-side seating for two pilots, one of them a dedicated weapons operator.
Nayak also said that the weaponized version of Dhruv, also powered by the Shakti engine, is now getting ready for induction. The attack version of Dhruv has stub wings for anti-armour and air to air missiles as well as rocket pods for 70-mm and 68-mm rockets. Its attack version for the Indian Army would be fitted with anti-tank Nag missile.
Developed by DRDO, Nag features an infrared guidance system and has a range of up to 8-kms. The wepaonised Dhruv will also be equipped with an electronic counter measure (ECM) suite featuring radar and missile detectors, infrared jammers as well as chaff and flare dispersers.
Giving facts and figures, Nayak said that HAL had so far delivered 90 utility versions of ALH to the users, including defence forces and civilian agencies. Indian army is planning to replace its fleet of ageing Cheetah and Chetak helicopters with Dhruv.
About the recent crash of a Dhruv in Ecuador, Nayak observed that
over-manoeuvring by the pilot could have caused the mishap. “There were no cancellation of export orders on account of the crash,” he pointed out.
HAL had bagged the US $55-million order for the supply of seven helicopters against stiff global competition to the Air Force of Ecuador. Pending the outcome of the statutory inquiry into the circumstances leading to the crash, Ecuador has however grounded its fleet of Dhruvs.
Notably, the pilot survived the crash.
The sale of Dhruv to Ecuador was India’s first major export outside its immediate neighbourhood. HAL had earlier supplied two Dhruv choppers to Nepal in addition to leasing out one to the Defence Ministry of Israel. The current list of its potential buyers include Peru, Turkey, Mauritius and Maldives.
On the possibility of setting up a Maintenance, Repair and Operations (MRO) centre in Bangalore, he said HAL had no plans in this regard. There had been indications earlier though, but according to Nayak, conditions are not conducive yet for such a venture.
He said there was some progress in the partnership with Russia over the Fifth Generation Fighter Aircraft (FGFA) and Military Transport Aircraft (MTA).
According to Chief of Air Staff Air Chief Marshal P V Naik, IAF was hopeful to induct the first FGFA squadron by 2016-17.
Yet another high profile project for which HAL is preparing is the Medium Combat Aircraft (MCA) unveiled by the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) as a followup to the Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) Tejas which is expecting to get Initial Operational Clearance (IOC) by 2011. MCA will have stealth features and an enhanced strike capability.
In the near future, HAL will manufacture eight Tejas LCA under Limited Series Production (LSP)programme, based on the current progress of the project. IAF has placed an order for 20 Tejas aircraft of IOC standard.
HAL will also be the production agency for the MK-II version of Tejas equipped with an engine capable of generating a thrust of around 95-kN. The basic version of LCA Tejas is powered by GE F404 engine. Competition for a more powerful engine is already on.
On the civilian front, Nayak said that HAL had started preparing the ground for the production of India’s first civilian transport aircraft Saras, now being developed by the Bangalore-based National Aerospace Laboratories (NAL), a unit of the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR).
Thirty to 35 Saras aircraft should be produced at HAL’s Kanpur establishment, he said adding that Director General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) was expected to give IOC for this aircraft in about a year’s time.
NAL has said that the third prototype of Saras, which would feature weight reduction to the extent of 500-kg, will fly in 2010. It will be equipped with the Engine Indicating and Crew Alert System (EICAS), and the autopilot. Right now, the aircraft prototype is a little heavier than required.
The two prototypes of Saras have between them logged more than 100 hours of flying. In March 2009, the second prototype of Saras had crashed on the outskirts of Bangalore while on a flying sortie. This mishap had caused the death of three IAF pilots.
DGCA has hinted that the accident was due to the wrong engine relight. The engine relight is carried out before the certification of an aircraft to find out if an aircraft can operate or land with one engine in the event of an emergency of if one of the engines fails.
IAF has evinced an interest in buying 15 Saras. Now NAL is planning to impress upon the Indian Postal Department the utility and economy of using Saras for speedier delivery of parcels. Equipped with two rear mounted engines and designed to operate on short, semi prepared runways, Saras can be used as an executive transport, air taxi, package carrier, air ambulance, and in roles such as remote sensing and aerial survey.


i think this news is taken from here....
 

notinlove

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can somebody clarify this ??

eurocopter tiger empty weight - 3,060 kg

Powerplant: 2× Rolls-Royce/Turbomeca/MTU MTR390 turboshafts, 873 kW (1,170 shp) each

LCH empty weight 2550 kg+500 kg overweight =3050 kg

Powerplant: 2× HAL/Turbomeca Shakti turboshafts, 900 kW (1200 hp) each

Where is the Problem .... if anything the figures look better than the Tiger!!!
i smell something fishy here .....

Also with similar weights the tiger claims protection against 23 mm AP rounds whereas LCH claims Protection against 12.7 mm AP Rounds !!! Why such inferior Armour ??
 

Zoravar

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if all goes well then the army will get 114 lch and the air force 65 and maybe we can try to export it aswell.:dfi-1:
 

Zoravar

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@notinlove
Claims are not the truth.they can claim protection of 50mm.anyway we have mi 24s and mi35s in heavy attack helcioter role.
Gunship attrition rates were high.[9] The environment itself, dusty and often hot, was rough on the machines; dusty conditions led to the development of the PZU air intake filters. And of course, the rebels fought back whenever they could. Their primary air-defense weapons early in the war were heavy machine guns and anti-aircraft cannons, though they found anything smaller than a 23 millimeter gun generally did not do much more than annoy a Mi-24. Even the cockpit glass panels were resistant to 12.7 mm rounds.
 

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