Light combat Helicopter (LCD) Prachand Inducted Into IAF

 Light combat Helicopter (LCD) Prachand Inducted Into IAF

The autochthonic lightweight Combat whirlybird LCH-Prachand was formally inducted into the Indian Air Force (IAF).

LCH- Prachand

The LCH has been designed as a twin-engine, dedicated combat chopper of 5.8-ton category, therefore categorised as lightweight.

It options a slim body and cycle one behind the opposite configuration for pilot and co-pilot. The co-pilot is additionally the Weapon Systems Operator (WSO).

While LCH inherits several options of the ALH-Dhruv, it primarily differs in cycle cockpit configuration, creating it sleeker.

It conjointly has more state-of-art systems that create it an avid attack whirlybird.

Features, the importance of LCH

LCH has the most take-off weight of five.8 tonnes, a most speed of 268 kilometers per hour, vary of 550 kilometers.

It has endurance of over 3 hours and repair ceiling the most density altitude to that it will fly of half-dozen.5 kilometres.

LCH is hopped-up by 2 French-origin Shakti engines factory-made by the HAL.

Combat capabilities

The whirlybird uses measuring instrument-absorbing material to lower radar signature and features a considerably crash-proof structure and undercarriage.

A controlled cabin offers protection from nuclear, biological and chemical (NBC) contingencies.

With these options, the LCH has the capabilities of combat roles like destruction of enemy air defence, counter-insurgency warfare, combat search and rescue, anti-tank, and counter surface force operations.

Why want indigenous LCH?

It was throughout the 1999 Kargil war that the necessity was 1st felt for a native light-weight assault whirlybird that would hold exactitude strikes altogether Indian battleground situations.

This meant a craft that would operate in very popular deserts and conjointly in terribly cold high altitudes, in counter-insurgency situations to all-out battle conditions.

India has been operational sub three ton class French-origin inheritance helicopters, Chetak and Acinonyx jubatus, created in Asian country by the HAL.