Air force got LCH-Prachanda: Raises storm around the world

Prachand the indigenously made Light Combat Helicopter(LCH) which was inducted in the Indian Air Force(IAF) yesterday Monday is making huge storm in social media.

The choppers were inducted officially by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh in Jodhpur. After that, Rajnath Singh also took a sortie in a helicopter flown by the Commanding Officer, Group Captain Deepak Vishnoi.

The LCH, the newest induction into the Indian Air Force, was named Prachand. The LCH is a dedicated combat helicopter designed and developed indigenously for the first time in India.

The Cabinet Committee on Security(CCS), headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, approved the procurement of 15 Light Combat Helicopters(LCH) at the cost of Rs. 3,887 Crore along with infrastructure sanctions worth Rs. 377 Cr in March this year.

Out of total 15 LCH, the Indian Air Force will get ten and the Indian Army five. While four have already been handed to the Air Force, the remaining will be delivered by March 2023. The Indian Army has got one and will get the remaining four by the end of this month to be deployed in the eastern sector.

The helicopters are manufactured by Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL). It is suited to the roles of Combat Search and Rescue(CSAR), Destruction of Enemy Air Defence (DEAD), Counter Insurgency(CI) operations, and taking on slow-moving aircraft, Remotely Piloted Aircraft(RPAs), high altitude bunker busting operations.