SilentlAssassin265
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No orders have been placed yet ans it's unlikely before 2024 election.
HAL Light Utility Helicopter (LUH) and Light Observation Helicopter (LOH)
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Fatalis
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Army to start phasing out Cheetah, Chetak helicopters from 2027
Army to phase out Cheetah, Chetak helicopters in 2027; replace with indigenously-developed LUH. TTL of Cheetah, Chetak helicopters to end in 2027; Army to replace with indigenously-developed LUH. Army to phase out vintage Cheetah, Chetak helicopters in 2027; replace with indigenously-developed...
The Army and the IAF began scouting for a LUH to replace the Cheetah and Chetak over a decade back and in 2015 the Defence Ministry decided to split the order into two, by procuring around 200 in partnership with a foreign OEM and another 200 to be supplied by the HAL by indigenous development. In line with this, India had entered into an inter-governmental agreement with Russia to manufacture 200 Ka-226T helicopters in India through a joint venture that has been stuck for a while and is now awaiting formal cancellation. Now the entire requirement will be met by the LUH.
WolfPack86
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INDIAN ARMY TO BEGIN PHASE-OUT OF CHEETAH, CHETAK CHOPPERS FROM 2027
The Army will start phasing out the first lot of the vintage Cheetah and Chetak helicopters from 2027 onwards on completion of their Total Technical Life (TTL) while it looks to induct the indigenous Light Utility Helicopters (LUH) in numbers to replace them, according to defence sources. The armed forces have been attempting to replace the Cheetah and Chetaks for well over a decade.
In November 2021, the Defence Acquisition Council approved the procurement of 12 Limited Series Production (LSP) variants of the LUH at a cost of around ₹1,500 crore, six each for the Army and the Indian Air Force (IAF), designed and developed by the Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) but has been delayed due to issues with the auto-pilot.
“The issue with the auto-pilot of the LUH has been addressed and the trials by the HAL have commenced. The six LSP LUH are expected to be delivered to the Army between December 2024 and June 2025. The bigger contract for LUH is expected to be concluded by January 2024 and deliveries expected to begin by 2026 onwards,” a defence source with knowledge of the matter said. In the interim, the Army is also looking to lease 20 utility helicopters to address the shortage.
The Army currently has 190 Cheetah, Chetak and Cheetal helicopters of the original 246. Of these, at anytime around 25 of them are at the Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) for maintenance, which is a deficiency of around 37% in this segment, the source noted. A bulk of the fleet, close to 130 of the 190, are between 30 and 50 years old.
Of the 190 Cheetah and Chetaks in service, around 134 helicopters or over 70% of them are over 30 years old, as reported by The Hindu earlier. In addition to the Army, the Navy and the IAF too operate these helicopters. For instance, the IAF has around 120 Cheetah and Chetak and around 18 of the more recent Cheetals.
The Lifeline
The light helicopter fleet is the lifeline in transporting supplies and for evacuations in the high-altitude areas, including the Siachen glacier and the commitments on the northern borders have significantly gone up since the 2020 stand-off.
The Army also operates around 145 indigenous Advanced Light Helicopters (ALH), 75 of which are the Rudra weaponised variants and another 25 ALH Mk-III are on order. In July, the Army issued a Request for Information for leasing 20 Light Helicopters for reconnaissance and surveillance for a period of five years with the vendors asked to indicate the possibility of delivering all 20 helicopters within two years from the contract signing date.
In all, the Army and the IAF together have a requirement of over 400 helicopters of this class.
The LUH is a 3-ton class helicopter with glass cockpit for reconnaissance and surveillance roles and as a light transport helicopter. The helicopter will be capable of flying at 220 kmph, with a service ceiling of 6.5 km and a range of 350 km with 400 kg payload, according to the HAL.
The Army and the IAF began scouting for a LUH to replace the Cheetah and Chetak over a decade back and in 2015 the Defence Ministry decided to split the order into two, by procuring around 200 in partnership with a foreign OEM and another 200 to be supplied by the HAL by indigenous development. In line with this, India had entered into an inter-governmental agreement with Russia to manufacture 200 Ka-226T helicopters in India through a joint venture that has been stuck for a while and is now awaiting formal cancellation. Now the entire requirement will be met by the LUH.
www.indiandefensenews.in
The Army will start phasing out the first lot of the vintage Cheetah and Chetak helicopters from 2027 onwards on completion of their Total Technical Life (TTL) while it looks to induct the indigenous Light Utility Helicopters (LUH) in numbers to replace them, according to defence sources. The armed forces have been attempting to replace the Cheetah and Chetaks for well over a decade.
In November 2021, the Defence Acquisition Council approved the procurement of 12 Limited Series Production (LSP) variants of the LUH at a cost of around ₹1,500 crore, six each for the Army and the Indian Air Force (IAF), designed and developed by the Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) but has been delayed due to issues with the auto-pilot.
“The issue with the auto-pilot of the LUH has been addressed and the trials by the HAL have commenced. The six LSP LUH are expected to be delivered to the Army between December 2024 and June 2025. The bigger contract for LUH is expected to be concluded by January 2024 and deliveries expected to begin by 2026 onwards,” a defence source with knowledge of the matter said. In the interim, the Army is also looking to lease 20 utility helicopters to address the shortage.
The Army currently has 190 Cheetah, Chetak and Cheetal helicopters of the original 246. Of these, at anytime around 25 of them are at the Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) for maintenance, which is a deficiency of around 37% in this segment, the source noted. A bulk of the fleet, close to 130 of the 190, are between 30 and 50 years old.
Of the 190 Cheetah and Chetaks in service, around 134 helicopters or over 70% of them are over 30 years old, as reported by The Hindu earlier. In addition to the Army, the Navy and the IAF too operate these helicopters. For instance, the IAF has around 120 Cheetah and Chetak and around 18 of the more recent Cheetals.
The Lifeline
The light helicopter fleet is the lifeline in transporting supplies and for evacuations in the high-altitude areas, including the Siachen glacier and the commitments on the northern borders have significantly gone up since the 2020 stand-off.
The Army also operates around 145 indigenous Advanced Light Helicopters (ALH), 75 of which are the Rudra weaponised variants and another 25 ALH Mk-III are on order. In July, the Army issued a Request for Information for leasing 20 Light Helicopters for reconnaissance and surveillance for a period of five years with the vendors asked to indicate the possibility of delivering all 20 helicopters within two years from the contract signing date.
In all, the Army and the IAF together have a requirement of over 400 helicopters of this class.
The LUH is a 3-ton class helicopter with glass cockpit for reconnaissance and surveillance roles and as a light transport helicopter. The helicopter will be capable of flying at 220 kmph, with a service ceiling of 6.5 km and a range of 350 km with 400 kg payload, according to the HAL.
The Army and the IAF began scouting for a LUH to replace the Cheetah and Chetak over a decade back and in 2015 the Defence Ministry decided to split the order into two, by procuring around 200 in partnership with a foreign OEM and another 200 to be supplied by the HAL by indigenous development. In line with this, India had entered into an inter-governmental agreement with Russia to manufacture 200 Ka-226T helicopters in India through a joint venture that has been stuck for a while and is now awaiting formal cancellation. Now the entire requirement will be met by the LUH.
Indian Army To Begin Phase-Out of Cheetah, Chetak Choppers From 2027
The Army currently has 190 Cheetah, Chetak and Cheetal helicopters of the original 246 The Army will start phasing out the first lot of the ...
Azaad
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226 was always to cater to a redundancy in case the LUH wasn't developed in time . You can see it as a Plan B . Since the development of the LUH was more or less on schedule & met all the user requirements , the need for the 226 decreased over a period of time . All said & done this was smart thinking by all the concerned parties especially MoD .
WolfPack86
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INDIAN ARMY MAY ORDER LUH IN BULK BY EARLY NEXT YEAR; INDO-RUSSIA KA-226T DEAL LIKELY TO BE CANCELLED
In significant news for the indigenous aviation manufacturing industry, the Indian Army is considering a bulk order of the Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL)-made light utility helicopter (LUH) by early next year, reported The Hindu.
Furthermore, the Indian Army is set to begin receiving the first LUHs from the initial batch of 12 limited series production (LSP) helicopters, which were ordered by the Defence Acquisition Council (DAC) in 2021 at a cost of Rs 1,500 crore.
The deliveries are scheduled to commence in December 2024.
Out of the 12 LUHs ordered, six are intended for the Indian Air Force (IAF), and the remaining six are designated for the Indian Army. It's worth noting that the delivery of these 12 helicopters experienced a delay due to an issue with the auto-pilot system.
However, this issue has now been resolved, and the delivery of all 12 LUHs is expected to be completed by June 2025.
“The issue with the auto-pilot of the LUH has been addressed and the trials by the HAL have commenced. The six LSP LUH are expected to be delivered to the Army between December 2024 and June 2025. The bigger contract for LUH is expected to be concluded by January 2024 and deliveries expected to begin by 2026 onwards,” the report quoted an army official as saying.
In an even more significant development for the defence aviation manufacturing industry, Indo-Russian deal for joint manufacturing of 200 Ka-226T helicopter by HAL is almost as good as dead.
Additionally, the Indian Army is planning to retire its older Cheetah and Chetak helicopters, starting in 2027.
Currently, the army operates a fleet of 190 Cheetah, Chetak, and Cheetal helicopters, which constitute the bulk of the army's light helicopter fleet. Furthermore, the IAF operates 120 of these helicopters, with an additional 18 newer Cheetal helicopters in its inventory.
"Of these, at anytime around 25 of them are at HAL for maintenance, which is a deficiency of around 37 per cent in this segment, the source noted. A bulk of the fleet, close to 130 of the 190, are between 30 and 50 years old," The Hindu report states.
Of the 190 Cheetah and Chetaks in service, around 134 helicopters or over 70 per cent them are over 30 years old.
These light helicopters play a vital role in supporting high-altitude posts in regions like Siachen and the Line of Actual Control (LAC) opposite China. The ongoing standoff at the LAC with China since 2020 has added more strain to this already aging helicopter fleet.
The new LUH orders will help bridge the gap left by the retiring Cheetah and Chetak helicopters in the army and IAF's light helicopter fleet.
www.indiandefensenews.in
In significant news for the indigenous aviation manufacturing industry, the Indian Army is considering a bulk order of the Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL)-made light utility helicopter (LUH) by early next year, reported The Hindu.
Furthermore, the Indian Army is set to begin receiving the first LUHs from the initial batch of 12 limited series production (LSP) helicopters, which were ordered by the Defence Acquisition Council (DAC) in 2021 at a cost of Rs 1,500 crore.
The deliveries are scheduled to commence in December 2024.
Out of the 12 LUHs ordered, six are intended for the Indian Air Force (IAF), and the remaining six are designated for the Indian Army. It's worth noting that the delivery of these 12 helicopters experienced a delay due to an issue with the auto-pilot system.
However, this issue has now been resolved, and the delivery of all 12 LUHs is expected to be completed by June 2025.
“The issue with the auto-pilot of the LUH has been addressed and the trials by the HAL have commenced. The six LSP LUH are expected to be delivered to the Army between December 2024 and June 2025. The bigger contract for LUH is expected to be concluded by January 2024 and deliveries expected to begin by 2026 onwards,” the report quoted an army official as saying.
In an even more significant development for the defence aviation manufacturing industry, Indo-Russian deal for joint manufacturing of 200 Ka-226T helicopter by HAL is almost as good as dead.
Additionally, the Indian Army is planning to retire its older Cheetah and Chetak helicopters, starting in 2027.
Currently, the army operates a fleet of 190 Cheetah, Chetak, and Cheetal helicopters, which constitute the bulk of the army's light helicopter fleet. Furthermore, the IAF operates 120 of these helicopters, with an additional 18 newer Cheetal helicopters in its inventory.
"Of these, at anytime around 25 of them are at HAL for maintenance, which is a deficiency of around 37 per cent in this segment, the source noted. A bulk of the fleet, close to 130 of the 190, are between 30 and 50 years old," The Hindu report states.
Of the 190 Cheetah and Chetaks in service, around 134 helicopters or over 70 per cent them are over 30 years old.
These light helicopters play a vital role in supporting high-altitude posts in regions like Siachen and the Line of Actual Control (LAC) opposite China. The ongoing standoff at the LAC with China since 2020 has added more strain to this already aging helicopter fleet.
The new LUH orders will help bridge the gap left by the retiring Cheetah and Chetak helicopters in the army and IAF's light helicopter fleet.
Indian Army May Order LUH In Bulk By Early Next Year; Indo-Russia Ka-226T Deal Likely To Be Cancelled
In significant news for the indigenous aviation manufacturing industry, the Indian Army is considering a bulk order of the Hindustan Aeronau...
Azaad
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Clutterji weighing in on how we'd be celebrating the 60th anniversary of inducting the French made Alouette made in India by HAL christened the Chetak , Cheetah & Cheetal based on different variants of the Alouette.
It's quite a decent episode where he's scathing in his indictment of the defence procurement process , the MoD & the development cum mfg agency HAL , without being bombastic about it.
WolfPack86
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Indian Army can buy 90+ LUH helicopters from HAL, says Sources
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"May, can, soon, sources, likely..." Keywords with no meaning , nothing should be believed till contract is signed.
abingdonboy
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Indian military thinks the public are mushrooms
keep them in the dark and feed them sh!t
