Made-in-India light combat helicopters 'Prachand' inducted into IAF

The first batch of indigenouslydeveloped Light Combat Helicopter LCH named Prachand was inducted into the Indian Air Force on Monday in the presence of Defence Minister Rajnath SinghThe induction ceremony was held in Rajasthans Jodhpur where newly appointed Chief of Defence Staff CDS Anil Chauhan was also present along with the Union MinisterWhile speaking on the occasion Singh said that LCH will enhance our capability and will boost defence production and it proves Indias commitment towards selfreliance in Defence productionThere could not have been a better timing for LCH induction than Navratri and in the land of warriors Rajasthan Singh said adding that the LCH is a result of research and development for two decadesFor a long time there was a need for attack helicopters and during the 1999 Kargil war its need was felt seriously The LCH is a result of research and development for two decades and its induction into IAF is an important milestone in defence production Singh further saidAlso Read Netizens seek action against organisers that had Asura looking like GandhiThe new chopper getting inducted into the force is capable of aerial combat and will help the force combat slowmoving aircraft drones and armoured columns during conflicts The induction ceremony will be led by Rajnath Singh who has played a crucial role in progressing cases for buying indigenous platforms for forcesHe was also present in the Cabinet Committee on Security which cleared the purchase of 15 of these LCHs for the air force and the armyHailing the service of the Indian Air Force Singh said that IAF has played an important role in the nations security whether it was internal threats or external warIAF has always strengthened national security with their courage and bravery The induction of indigenously developed LCH will increase the efficiency of IAF It has always supported indigenously developed defence products like Marut Light Combat Aircraft Aakash Missile System Advanced Light Helicopter and now LCH It shows IAFs trust towards indigenously design and development Rajnath Singh saidDefence Minister also talked about the key feature of this madeinIndia LCH and said it perfectly meets the needs of our armed forcesLCH is capable of dodging the enemy carrying a variety of ammunition and delivering it to the site quickly LCH perfectly meets the needs of our armed forces in various terrains and it is an ideal platform for both our Army and Airforce he addedGiving reference to the UkraineRussia war Rajnath said The conflict or earlier conflicts teach us that heavy weapon systems and platforms which are unable to move rapidly across the battlefield have a low capability and become easy targets for the enemyHe considered the defence of the nation as the top priority and said that the government is fully committed to itI can say with full confidence that in the coming time India will be first whenever there is talk of superpowers including military power in the world he saidFor the nations security it is the job of the government to ensure armed forces are equipped with the best equipment and platforms Irrespective of the geopolitical scenario it is their job to keep National security on alert Against the backdrop of certain events in the past the government has focused on indigenisation in defence production and preparedness They are getting positive responses from services research and development startups and public and private sector industries All are coming together to give a new height to defence production Singh further saidTime requires to shift towards such equipment and platforms that could are easy to move more flexible and also more lethal I like to appreciate HAL engineers for putting all these features in LCH And dont get confused with the Light word associated with it but the task it will deliver is heavy he saidThe light combat helicopter is a dedicated combat helicopter designed and developed indigenously in India It has been manufactured by Hindustan Aeronautics Limited HALOf the 15 limited series production helicopters approved 10 are for the IAF and five for the army It can land and take off from an altitude of 5000 metres with weapons and fuel the officials saidThe choppers have been flown extensively in Ladakh and the desert sector to meet the requirements of the armed forces The IAF has inducted multiple helicopters to its fleet in the last threefour years with the induction of the Chinooks Apache attack helicopters and now the LCHsCCS met under the Chairmanship of Prime Minister Narendra Modi on March 30 2022 in New Delhi The CCS has approved the procurement of 15 Light Combat Helicopter LCH Limited Series Production at the cost of Rs 3887 Cr along with Infrastructure sanctions worth Rs 377 croreLight Combat Helicopter Limited Series Production LSP is an indigenously designed developed and manufactured stateoftheart modern combat helicopter containing approximately 45 per cent indigenous content by value which will progressively increase to more than 55 per cent for the SP VersionThis helicopter is equipped with requisite agility manoeuvrability extended range high altitude performance and aroundtheclock allweather combat capability to perform roles of Combat Search and Rescue CSAR Destruction of Enemy Air Defence DEAD Counter Insurgency CI operations against slowmoving aircraft and Remotely Piloted Aircraft RPAs high altitude bunker busting operations Counter Insurgency operations in the jungle and urban environments and support to ground forces and would be a potent platform to meet the operational requirements of Indian Air Force and Indian Army said the Ministry of Defence ANIThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its 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