HAL Prachand - Light Combat Helicopter (LCH)

[Vikramaditya]

Now Hal LCH flight is conformed

 

[Yusuf]

Now Hal LCH flight is conformed

What did you think we were joking since yesterday?

 

[Vikramaditya]

No media has reported this, till them its just speculation.

And by the way your getting angry......

 

[Yusuf]

So only people like Shiv Aroor and Ajai Shukla only can provide us with confirmed defence news eh?? I reported this with source from inside who saw the flight taking place. It happened at 15.50 hours.

By the way I am not angry.

 

[Anshu Attri]

some more conformation news.....

http://www.expressbuzz.com/edition/story.aspx?Title=LCH+completes+%E2%80%98perfect%E2%80%99+maiden+flight+in+city&artid=vxC8NPQab3E=&SectionID=Qz/kHVp9tEs=&MainSectionID=Qz/kHVp9tEs=&SEO=&SectionName=UOaHCPTTmuP3XGzZRCAUTQ==

LCH completes ‘perfect’ maiden flight in city

BANGALORE: Almost two decades after India’s first indigenously developed chopper the Advanced Light Helicopter (ALH) Dhruv took to the skies, its sleeker and lighter cousin, the Light Combat Helicopter (LCH) successfully completed its maiden flight in Bangalore on Monday.
Defence Ministry sources told Express that the prototype of the LCH, which is being developed by Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) for the Indian armed forces, took to the Bangalore skies on Monday afternoon.
“The prototype of the LCH took off from the HAL’s helicopter division at 3 pm. The first sortie lasted for about 15 to 20 minutes,” said sources.
While Dhruv is a multi-purpose helicopter with both civilian and military versions, the lighter LCH has been specifically designed for the combat specifications of the Indian Air force.
“The first flight was perfect and we achieved all the intended objectives,” said an HAL official who witnessed the flight.
The maiden LCH flight was a closely guarded affair and follows successful ground and functional trials which were conducted in the first week of February.
The maiden flight of the LCH was supposed to take place last year. However, the planned flight was delayed as the armed forces were reportedly unhappy that the helicopter’s weight slightly exceeded the proposed figure of 2.5 tonnes.
Together, the Indian Air Force and the Indian Army have placed orders for more than 175 of these birds from HAL.

 

[Anshu Attri]

http://www.thaindian.com/newsportal/uncategorized/india-test-flies-light-combat-chopper-successfully_100341255.html

India test flies light combat chopper successfully

Bangalore, March 30 (IANS) India has successfully flight tested a prototype of the Light Combat Helicopter (LCH), designed and developed by the state-run Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd (HAL), a top official said Tuesday.
“The maiden test flight of the LCH Monday evening was successfully. Though it was a short haul lasting about 20 minutes, the performance was good,” HAL chairman and managing director Ashok Nayak told IANS.

The 5.5-tonne attack copter is a derivative version of HAL’s flagship product Advanced Light Helicopter (ALH), christened Dhruv.

“We will be conducting more test flights to evaluate its various parameters at different altitudes and conditions. We are looking at reducing the weight considerably for better manoeuvrability,” Nayak said.

Made of lightweight composites, the LCH can operate at high altitudes up to 6,000 metres or 18,000 feet.

The prototype was flown with Shakti engine, developed by HAL in partnership with Turbomeca, the French manufacturer of aero engines for global aerospace majors.

“Plans to launch the flight trials of LCH have been going on over the last couple of months but got delayed due to reassessment of its various functions and flight control systems,” a official of the company’s copter division said.

HAL plans to hard-sell about 150-175 units of the LCH to the Indian defence services, mainly Indian Air Force (IAF) and Indian Army, which already operates the military version of Dhruv for various functions.

Senior officials of the company’s helicopter division and IAF were present at the HAL airport to witness the test fight.

The LCH will be equipped with a helmet-mounted targeting system, electronic warfare systems and advanced weapons systems.

The LCH will incorporate a number of stealth features and crash-worthy landing gear for better survivability. It will have a narrow fuselage, with two crew stations.



More at : India test flies light combat chopper successfully http://www.thaindian.com/newsportal...per-successfully_100341255.html#ixzz0jebpq2WV

 

[Chota]

Photo credit www.ndtv.com/Vishnu Som

Photo credit www.ndtv.com/Vishnu Som

 

[Dark_Prince]

Great Pic Bro!! Amazing its beautiful!!====================

 

[plugwater]

Photo credit www.ndtv.com/Vishnu Som

Photo credit www.ndtv.com/Vishnu Som

wow.. amazing really for a prototype.. i expected some yellow and green paint. well done HAL

 

[Yusuf]

Photo credit www.ndtv.com/Vishnu Som

Photo credit www.ndtv.com/Vishnu Som

I can see the gun in the front. The LCH is not weaponised yet. So don't know if this pic is of the LCH. Not the one that flew yesterday at least.

 

[Super Commando Dhruva]

I can see the gun in the front. The LCH is not weaponised yet. So don't know if this pic is of the LCH. Not the one that flew yesterday at least.

Yes it is, check the LCH serial number "ZP 4601", same for TD-1 in article

By not weaponised version, i think it meant Rocket pods or missiles not the rotary gun in front.

 

[thakur_ritesh]

yup, this indeed is LCH, no doubt in that. this one goes as my desktop image. woohoo!

 

[Dark_Prince]

I can see the gun in the front. The LCH is not weaponised yet. So don't know if this pic is of the LCH. Not the one that flew yesterday at least.

Even this Dud Defense Expo Model has a Gun! does not mean it is fully weaponized!(Plz check ur source and confirm if it had a Gun?)

 

[Armand2REP]

I can see the gun in the front. The LCH is not weaponised yet. So don't know if this pic is of the LCH. Not the one that flew yesterday at least.

The picture looks real enough for me. Although it is pretty weird they would make the first flight loaded out with the gun and optronics already equipped.

 

[Chota]

India test flies light combat chopper successfully

"We will be conducting more test flights to evaluate its various parameters at different altitudes and conditions. We are looking at reducing the weight considerably for better manoeuvrability," Nayak said.

Still scope for improvement ?

 

[bhogta]

India test flies light combat chopper successfully




Still scope for improvement ?

off course yaar, its will improve a lot. This is just a first flight. But one thing i can tell you its will fly like ALH not like LCA.

 

[Chota]

Although it is pretty weird they would make the first flight loaded out with the gun and optronics already equipped.

They could be unarmed or un-instrumented for early aero-dynamic analysis. Same should have been done with LCA in its early flight testing by installing dummy missiles on wingtips and dummy external fuel tanks

 

[Yusuf]

Ok I have confirmed that the picture by vishnu som is authentic. The gun is dummy and also the FLIR.

 

[Armand2REP]

They could be unarmed or un-instrumented for early aero-dynamic analysis. Same should have been done with LCA in its early flight testing by installing dummy missiles on wingtips and dummy external fuel tanks

You can compare this to the first Apache prototype...

It is just unusual.

 

[Anshu Attri]

smilodon

.http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_o_no4M2xEPY/S7H6IgABSSI/AAAAAAAAKBk/lU9ZsB_hYwc/s1600/LCH+First+Flight.jpg