HAL Prachand - Light Combat Helicopter (LCH)

[indiandefencefan]

View attachment 5939

@San-E, great artwork !! looking forward to more stuff from you in the future

 

[sorcerer]

LCH completes 'hot and high' trials
Rahul Bedi, New Delhi - IHS Jane's Defence Weekly
08 September 2015

The third LCH prototype, seen here at AeroIndia 2015, completed hot and high trials in the Himalayas in August, manufacturer HAL has announced. Source: IHS/James Hardy
India's Light Combat Helicopter (LCH) successfully completed high altitude trials in the Himalayas in late August in the latest step towards completing its flight certification.

Officials from Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL), which has developed the LCH, said weapon trials were scheduled for mid-2016 but that initial operational clearance (IOC) - delayed by over three years - would be achieved by December.

HAL is expected to begin series production of the LCH by early 2017, to complete orders for 114 helicopters from the Army Aviation Corps (AAC) and 65 from the Indian Air Force (IAF).

In an official statement on 3 September HAL stated that the 'hot and high' trials, featuring the third TD-3 LCH prototype, took place over several days in August at altitudes of between 3,200 and 4800 m, in temperatures of 13-27 o C.

"The flight trials have established hover performance and [the] low speed handling characteristics of the LCH under extreme weather conditions at altitude," HAL chairman T Suvarna Raju said.

He added that the platform had been tested under its basic configuration of electro-optical pods, rocket launchers, turret gun and air-to-air missile launchers.

The trials followed the successful completion of LCH test flights at sea level in Chennai in 2013 and high altitude cold weather trials - also in Ladakh - in January.

In June the LCH undertook low-altitude hot weather trials in the Rajasthan desert, where temperatures were measured at 42 o C outside and near 60 o C inside the helicopter cabin.

The trials were conducted by AAC and IAF pilots along with representatives from the Centre for Military Airworthiness and Certification (CEMILAC) in Bangalore and the Directorate General of Quality Assurance (DGQA).

http://www.janes.com/article/54079/lch-completes-hot-and-high-trials

 

[pmaitra]

Some slightly older pictures of LCH.

 

[Chinmoy]

With the new deal to purchase Apache Longbow's, hope LCH would not be left at back burner. It would be nice to see if we could learn from Apache and make LCH the deadliest platform.

 

[Shaitan]

With the new deal to purchase Apache Longbow's, hope LCH would not be left at back burner. It would be nice to see if we could learn from Apache and make LCH the deadliest platform.

It's wont be, there's a strong order in place for the IAF and IA.

 

[shankyz]

Don't understand how ppl mix up 2 entirely different categories of helicopters.

LCH , as the name suggests, comes in the lightweight attack category.

Apache , like Mi-35, comes in the heavyweight attack category.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[guru-dutt]

It's wont be, there's a strong order in place for the IAF and IA.

thats right but now since most of the weather & flight trails are over all sucsess of LCH depends on its avionicks package which no dought be as good as apaches but needs to be much much better than what we have right now so its complements apaches very well as apache block III/E version has capabilty to interact and share targets and other related information with other air assets in the area for better kill ratio and mission survivabilty

 

[Chinmoy]

Don't understand how ppl mix up 2 entirely different categories of helicopters.

LCH , as the name suggests, comes in the lightweight attack category.

Apache , like Mi-35, comes in the heavyweight attack category.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Dear @shankyz hope you know how much we are infatuated by foreign goods and products. I do agree that Apache is a heavy copter whereas LCH is a light one. Moreover LCH would be mainly used by IA instead of IAF. But you never know what would come across some brilliant brain in top brass. What I fear the most is that they don't start demanding Apache's features in LCH in next couple of months.

 

[guru-dutt]

Don't understand how ppl mix up 2 entirely different categories of helicopters.

LCH , as the name suggests, comes in the lightweight attack category.

Apache , like Mi-35, comes in the heavyweight attack category.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

apache with latest rotor, gearbox and engine upgrade(which IAF is getting) has almost the same flight cieling to that of LCH but can carry almost more than twice the wepons load as LCH so yes its heavy type but onli in the name

 

[Yumdoot]

Only minor difference being you get 22 apache for 1.4 billion USD and 65 LCH again for 1.4 billion USD.

Congratulations now we have been successfully mugged. Now least request Americans to show some anger towards Pakis.

 

[guru-dutt]

Only minor difference being you get 22 apache for 1.4 billion USD and 65 LCH again for 1.4 billion USD.

Congratulations now we have been successfully mugged. Now least request Americans to show some anger towards Pakis.

care to explain this part ? im confused as to whats your point

 

[Yumdoot]

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/...-fly-high/articleshow/2437840.cms?referral=PM

Bangalore ALH pilots fly high
Prashanth GN, TNN | Oct 8, 2007, 01.31AM IST

BANGALORE: If the Advanced Light Helicopter (ALH) is doing wonders at the newly opened and high-altitude airbase at Manasbal (Srinagar) close to the Siachen area, it is all credit to Bangalore.

Three of its pilots were the first to take the ALH to heights higher than Manasbal, which was also the first time an Indian helicopter was taken to that height.

C D Upadhyay, Unni Pillai and M U Khan flew the ALH at an incredible altitude of 27,500 feet in the Siachen area braving icy winds.

Upadhyay describes that flight: "We started climbing stage by stage... 20,000 feet, 23, 24, 25, 26 and then 27,500. It had never been done before. We were hovering and watching a Cheetal (another helicopter) land just below us at 25,100 feet. Landing at that height isn't easy. We were ready to pick up the pilot if something went wrong.

"Naturally, we had to be at a higher altitude. It was cold and we were wrapped in woollens. There wasn't a single rattle at 27,500 ft... We'd worked out if the Cheetal could make 25,000 feet, the ALH could do more. We hadn't tried it on the Siachen Glacier. We succeeded."

Upadhyay and his co-pilots tried out the copter at that height above the Leh runway and the hills before taking on the glacier.

Minutes before the flight, Upadhyay said: "We checked the engine, then the software. It was fine. We were confident the copter would perform 100 per cent. Then we checked on the oxygen. At 27,000 feet, you need pressurised oxygen and a continuous supply. We ensured that. We did all the checks. We just took-off. The ALH was a beauty."

Upadhyay and his co-pilots were the first to put the ALH through the glacier. They flew it in extreme cold conditions. They flew it after an overnight soak. Then in chilly winds, almost blizzard-like conditions.

Upadhyay and co. did not have risk on their mind. "We didn't have the time to think. So there was no worrying. In any case, flying is part of our life. We have done it before and we'll keep doing it in future. If you love what you do, you don't think of what turns out for you. You learn to expect that in a pilot's life."

 

[Yumdoot]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boeing_AH-64_Apache

Specifications (AH-64A/D)[edit]
Weapon loadout of the AH-64 Apache
Data from Jane's Information Group,[51][67] Bishop[281]

• Service ceiling: 21,000 ft (6,400 m) minimum loaded

 

[Yumdoot]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HAL_Dhruv

The Dhruv is capable of flying at high altitudes, as it was an Army requirement for the helicopter to be able operate in the Siachen Glacier and Kashmir regions. In September 2007, the Dhruv Mk.3 was cleared for high-altitude flying in the Siachen Sector after six months of trials.[44][45] In October 2007, a Dhruv Mk.3 flew to an altitude of 27,500 feet (8,400 m) ASL in Siachen.[46] An Indian Army report in 2009 criticised the Dhruv's performance, stating: "The ALH was not able to fly above 5,000m, though the army's requirements stipulated an ability to fly up to 6,500m"; this has been blamed on the TM333 engine. As a consequence the Army had to continue relying on the older Cheetah/Cheetal helicopters to meet the shortfall.[47] The more powerful Shakti engine has since been introduced on the Dhruv Mk.3; on one test it carried 600 kg load to Sonam Post against the Army's requirement of 200 kg.[48] The Indian Army received the first batch of Dhruv Mk.3s during Aero India 2011.[49]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Siachen_conflict

Official figures for maintaining these outposts are put at ~$300 and ~$200 million for India and Pakistan respectively. India built the world's highest helipad on the glacier at Point Sonam, 21,000 feet (6,400 m) above the sea level, to supply its troops. The problems of reinforcing or evacuating the high-altitude ridgeline have led to India's development of the Dhruv Mk III helicopter, powered by the Shakti engine, which was flight-tested to lift and land personnel and stores from the Sonam post, the highest permanently manned post in the world.[45]

 

[Yumdoot]

Let IAF or IA now, come out with their loaded-ceiling figures for their toys.

Leadership with officer like qualities hai bhai!!

Let us see if honesty is one of those qualities.

 

[Neeraj Mathur]

@pmaitra @Shaitan
do we have Missile Approach Warning system on LCH.

 

[Yumdoot]

In June the LCH undertook low-altitude hot weather trials in the Rajasthan desert, where temperatures were measured at 42 o C outside and near 60 o C inside the helicopter cabin.
http://www.janes.com/article/54079/lch-completes-hot-and-high-trials

For 60 degree Celsius the air conditioner has to be a monster one.

Also the later prototypes look a lot lighter and sleeker.

 

[Zebra]

@Neeraj Mathur

... The helicopter is also fitted with radar and laser warning receivers, a missile approach warning system, countermeasure dispensing systems and a missile jammer.....

http://www.airforce-technology.com/projects/hallghtcombathelicop/

 

[Yumdoot]

Hi Frenchmen,

I don't think I ever thanked you for one right thing that we did with you guys. The ALH/LCH engine. That one thing will save us more than anything else in the helo category. The Dhruv, thanks to its engine performed exceedingly well in the Nepal earthquake relief. Basically the whole relief effort was focused around the helos and apart from Mi17 the Dhruv were crucial there.

When our lazy gernali-kernali have messed up the lives of our soldiers then we will need exactly this kind of capability to save the day for us in the Himalayas, where we don't have any lateral linkages worth speaking about and our soldiers would be fighting several dispersed battles in not-too-big-groups.

Thanks again.

 

[blueblood]

Why the Apache is a brute and LCH is elegant


We will take the LCH and the Apache and put an identical payload of 1,000 kg on them. Note that we have increased the payload here from 500 kg to 1000 kg for this analysis as opposed to that done for the Z-10. The reasoning will simple: both the LCH and the Apache can haul 500 kg through the high Himalayas. However, to get an idea of different performances, we are getting more realistic and putting a higher payload. In reality, with about 200 kg of crew and around 300 kg of fuel, the effective payload of weapons is only 500 kg. We will run both helicopters through a simulation model where we subject them to altitude variations and see how it affects their rate-of-climb capabilities while in hover, out of Ground Effect conditions. The rate-of-climb (ROC, measured here in meters/second) is a true measure of the maneuvering capability of an attack helicopter. Typically, a ROC of 0.5 m/sec is used to evaluate service ceiling conditions. A ROC of 2.5 m/sec is typically the bare minimum for combat conditions. For a helicopter in high mountains to be truly maneuverable, it may need somewhere in the range of 2.5 to 8 m/sec vertical ROC equivalent in power capacity. Of course, beyond a certain altitude, the helicopter may not be able to fly with the 500 kg payload, let alone providing additional power for high ROC. So we will also see where those limits are for the LCH and the Z-10.
The focus of this analysis is on a preliminary aerodynamic and propulsive standpoint. The analysis is done using simulation tools that integrate payload capacities and typical rate-of-climb requirements with a preliminary rotary aerodynamics model and a simple propulsion module. When coupled with an atmospheric simulator for the Himalayas, the performance of each helicopter type can be predicted and compared. Furthermore, the models allow for the performance analysis in Ground Effect conditions. The Ground Effect conditions are encountered when the helicopters are hovering very close to the ground and serves to work as a performance multiplier with regard to power needed in lifting a certain payload.


The models do not compensate for transmission limitations for the power, which means that the analysis is idealized wherein power generated is power available. This is, of course, not encountered in practice, but works well for high-altitude conditions where power available is almost always less than the transmission limits. At lower altitudes, the performance of the various designs must be assumed to be ideal, rather than restricted from transmission and structural limitations. For example, the maximum rate-of-climb (ROC) values obtained from this simulator for sea-level (SL) conditions will typically be higher than what is allowed by other limitations. However, such removal of limitations is required in order to compare the various contenders at the same performance benchmarks.
Data for this analysis is obtained from the manufacturers via open-sources. No proprietary information is shared here. Unless where cited, the analysis results are to be considered proprietary of the author. See remarks for details.

LCH versus the Apache:

The hover performance is evaluated at altitudes varying from 0 ft (SL) to 25,000 ft. Altitudes in the Himalayan Mountains regularly require flights above 10,000 ft and often up to 22,000 ft. The data is presented for the LCH and the Apache for payload and available maximum ROC capability versus altitude. A threshold ROC line is shown for the reference 8 m/sec combat ROC.

http://thebetacoefficient.blogspot.in/2015/04/why-apache-is-brute-and-lch-is-elegant.html

To read further go through the link and please thank Vivek Ahuja for this analysis.
.......................................................................

This analysis however do not include the massive difference in survivability, firepower and avionics to name a few.

Survivability - Apache's crew cabin and rotor blades can survive direct hits from 23mm which is a very powerful cartridge and also one the most widely used in AAA. Same goes for Eurocopter Tiger and A/T-129 which belong to same weight class as LCH.

LCH being a light chopper is not designed for to be in the thick of the AAA fire and can sustain direct hits from 12.7mm which is good but not exactly the world beater. So, it is quite evident that HAL is not yet there in terms of material science.

Firepower - Not counting the quickly expandable missiles and rockets, turret guns are the mainstay weapons of any attack chopper. Apache has huge lead on not just LCH but every single chopper out there.

M230 - 30x113mm, 1200 rounds

M621 - 20x102, estimated 320 rounds

Avionics - Don't just don't............

.................................................................................................

LCH belongs to a different design mindset than Apache or any other chopper out there. It can do high altitude missions with sufficient payload, has decent avionics and firepower and above all, it is cheap and can be procured in large numbers.

Do not foolishly expect an Indian AH-64D at quarter the price.