HAL Prachand - Light Combat Helicopter (LCH)

Sridhar_TN

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Bdw
I also read that 600 helifire s bought for lch and Apache
Again some one says spike er .....it's their speculations nothing else ..........
Hellfire integration also possible. I did read a post a month back that the army Wanted that option to be explored.

IMO, if we can integrate multiple weapons systems, that would be great for the lch platform. We can cycle through the most suited weapons system for each role.
Great marketing as well, when trying to sell the lch, showing its wide array of weapons.
 

vishnugupt

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Leave it. For whatever reason , he is very anti Indian products.

But that being said. I’m reading osint saying spike er will be integrated for immediate deployment, while drdo ATGM will be integrated after trials completeion.
I think you should have read my previous posts to know what did I mean? I sarcastically replied to Bhadra's BS
 

johnq

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The whole story seems like a chicken and the egg situation set up to stop Indian product orders. The LCH was cleared for acquisition at end of 2016 but no additional LSP orders were placed. Then no ATGM missiles were ordered citing the lack of LCHs to put the missiles on as an excuse. 4 years go by, meanwhile billions of dollars are spent on acquisitions of small numbers of Apaches by the import-lobby influenced ministers/generals. It reminds me of how a decade ago they killed the Arjun tank, in spite of it beating the T-90 in trials.
 

WolfPack86

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Two LCH Prototypes carry out Combat sorties with Apache Helicopters in Ladhak

In Show of confidence, Two Prototypes of the Light Combat Helicopter (LCH) developed by state-owned Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) were seen deployed at world’s highest airstrip Daulat Beg Oldie in Eastern Ladakh near China border and pictured with Vice Chief of Air Staff, Air Marshal HS Arora who also undertook a sortie on the LCH in the Ladakh Sector during a visit to review operational preparedness in the theatre. Both Prototypes of the Light Combat Helicopter (LCH) were moved from HAL’s Headquarters in Bangalore to Ladakh Sector to aid combat sorties performed by Apache Attack Helicopters in the sector due to rising military tension with China. Both Prototypes LCH is armed with 20 mm M621 cannon and 70 mm rockets. Indian Army Air Corps (AAC) is set to place an order for 10 Limited Series Production (LSP) LCH and IAF for 5 LSP LCH by end of this year. AAC plans to order 114 LCH and IAF 65 LCH once 15 LSP LCH are handed over to ACC and IAF by 2022. HAL in anticipation of the order for the 15 LSP LCH has manufactured 5 fuselages already and will begin assembly when the contract is inked by end of this year. Sources close to idrw.org have informed that since most of the flight trials have been completed it was decided that it will be pushed to forward areas. LCH has been specifically designed to fight at high altitude forward airstrips like Daulat Beg Oldie and it will also be used to see the coordination between LCH and Apache Attack Helicopters.
 

arkos

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The whole story seems like a chicken and the egg situation set up to stop Indian product orders. The LCH was cleared for acquisition at end of 2016 but no additional LSP orders were placed. Then no ATGM missiles were ordered citing the lack of LCHs to put the missiles on as an excuse. 4 years go by, meanwhile billions of dollars are spent on acquisitions of small numbers of Apaches by the import-lobby influenced ministers/generals. It reminds me of how a decade ago they killed the Arjun tank, in spite of it beating the T-90 in trials.
It is not however. DRDO failed to deliver an ATGM for both attack helicopters. These LCH are being flown by the IAF not the Army. LCH role within the IAF is to shoot down drones and other helicopters for which it has been already armed with Mistral. Army has already made its intention clear and will not accept LCH without ATGMs. Even today army's Rudra have no anti tank capability. But this is difficult for fanboys in this forum to understand.
 

Bleh

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LCH role within the IAF is to shoot down drones and other helicopters for which it has been already armed with Mistral.
That's not why they're getting 114 attack-helicopters for... Jets would do that far better. The inventory is just to be divided amongst both forces (because IA went daddy-i-want-too).

Other than that, Spike-ER will serve well as stopgap for now. It failed in the deserts but Himalayas have no such problem.
 

cannonfodder

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Two LCH Prototypes carry out Combat sorties with Apache Helicopters in Ladhak

In Show of confidence, Two Prototypes of the Light Combat Helicopter (LCH) developed by state-owned Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) were seen deployed at world’s highest airstrip Daulat Beg Oldie in Eastern Ladakh near China border and pictured with Vice Chief of Air Staff, Air Marshal HS Arora who also undertook a sortie on the LCH in the Ladakh Sector during a visit to review operational preparedness in the theatre. Both Prototypes of the Light Combat Helicopter (LCH) were moved from HAL’s Headquarters in Bangalore to Ladakh Sector to aid combat sorties performed by Apache Attack Helicopters in the sector due to rising military tension with China. Both Prototypes LCH is armed with 20 mm M621 cannon and 70 mm rockets. Indian Army Air Corps (AAC) is set to place an order for 10 Limited Series Production (LSP) LCH and IAF for 5 LSP LCH by end of this year. AAC plans to order 114 LCH and IAF 65 LCH once 15 LSP LCH are handed over to ACC and IAF by 2022. HAL in anticipation of the order for the 15 LSP LCH has manufactured 5 fuselages already and will begin assembly when the contract is inked by end of this year. Sources close to idrw.org have informed that since most of the flight trials have been completed it was decided that it will be pushed to forward areas. LCH has been specifically designed to fight at high altitude forward airstrips like Daulat Beg Oldie and it will also be used to see the coordination between LCH and Apache Attack Helicopters.
Ayoo.. to show confidence give concrete large scale orders not lolipop.
 

patriots

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As per my info lch was there ....for a test....
If iaf has asked hal for those helicopters....then why hal official s are there....
Why only 2 helicopters.....4 td s are there .....they could have asked for all 4
Then why iaf is asking for a helicopter,which is unarmed......in their language
 

johnq

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It is not however. DRDO failed to deliver an ATGM for both attack helicopters. These LCH are being flown by the IAF not the Army. LCH role within the IAF is to shoot down drones and other helicopters for which it has been already armed with Mistral. Army has already made its intention clear and will not accept LCH without ATGMs. Even today army's Rudra have no anti tank capability. But this is difficult for fanboys in this forum to understand.
They could've initially armed it with a different foreign ATGM while the Helina was being developed, AND ordered the LSPs at end of 2016 itself. Not doing so and wasting 4 years is a sign of shortsightedness; the Chinese are not going to wait to attack while the beaurocracy sit on the order for 4 years instead of using that time to manufacture more LSPs, and now they are short on numbers in the field. But they ARE willing to spend billions for a small number of Apaches instead of spending money on ordering/developing LCH (which in the long run would be far cheaper and better in high altitude warfare). You cannot compete with China without establishing a military industrial base, because you will simply run out of money buying foreign equipment (because much of the cost is profit for foreign companies). The US would never have won WW2 without establishing a massive military industrial base because you need large numbers of military equipment that can keep getting replaced at the assembly line. The Chinese understood this a long time back and this is why they took great pains to establish their military industrial complex. But the Indian establishment, in love with big foreign deals, either doesn't understand this, or doesn't care.
 

arkos

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They could've initially armed it with a different foreign ATGM while the Helina was being developed, AND ordered the LSPs at end of 2016 itself. Not doing so and wasting 4 years is a sign of shortsightedness; the Chinese are not going to wait to attack while the beaurocracy sit on the order for 4 years instead of using that time to manufacture more LSPs, and now they are short on numbers in the field.
it was DRDO who vetoed against foreign ATGMs not the military.
 

Bhadra

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They are not gonna be unarmed, you know that. Weapon platforms will be inducted gradually but that doesn't mean we don't buy it. Placing order will help the production line become functional properly. Keeping such programs in limbo will lead to more imports and death of such indigenous program.
So that means we should place the cart before the horse... arm without aiming just to satisfy someone's ego... things must not happen that not that way... let us put some other missiles for interim period without a DRDO veto and then when DRDO missiles are fully mature, integrate those...

This should have been done quite early and not "Jab Chiriya Chug Gayi Khet"..
 

Bhadra

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IAF's primary requirement is for shooting down drones and other helis. It has Mistral AAM for that.
yes , let IAF do it. Let HAL mount eight ATGMs on LCH and Army will gladly order that... till that " Lage Raho.." .. this what is called sabotage.
 

Bhadra

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LCH can have multiple roles.

During kargil war mi 17 were used to launch rockets at Paksitani posts. This of course was a bad idea because they were huge slow without any counter and not so Manuvervale.



If another such situation arise LCH can be used to level a post on heights like this.



LCH are small so Radars will have a hard time detecting them in mountains
They are fast so they will hit and run away quickly.
They have counter measures like flair and maybe Infrared Jammer in the future.
They are manuverable as fuck so no they will turn sharp corners.
They have protection to 7.62 round so no random paki can bring them down with their heirloom machine guns.

During kargil war we used to send soldiers to climbers mountain to get close to Paki post
Due to height advantage they used to inflict heavy casualties on us. Now if we had LCH at the time we could just send the helicopter to lay a barrage of rockets on their post to either terminate them or put them on backfoot to give advantage to our adavancing units.


Other than this they will patrol an area before troop movement and dislodge any threat if necessary.
Minus the weapons, Chetak, Cheeta and Cheetals can do all those tasks / Why have LCH without weapons ...
 

patriots

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Minus the weapons, Chetak, Cheeta and Cheetals can do all those tasks / Why have LCH without weapons ...
Sir lch doesn't have atgms ......I know atgm is a must for an attck helicopter......
But is atgm necessary for each and every mission........
If Chetak,cheeta and cheetal will do the task then why unarmed Apache s are flying there in leh ladakh......

I am not a knowledgeable guy so.... sorry
We all know that ...mod will sign the deal before December. ......
Don't say that if lch will have atgm ...then only we will buy ..that's not the reason.....
 

Bhadra

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Leave it. For whatever reason , he is very anti Indian products.

But that being said. I’m reading osint saying spike er will be integrated for immediate deployment, while drdo ATGM will be integrated after trials completeion.
That is no argument but personal coomeent..
Put some damn missile on it and use it and not as a cross legged nude sexy woman offering everything in future but nothing for a present...

Soldiers have a mission to perform and that mission is not being captive users following your dictates..
 

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