Indigenously Developed LCH Inducted

Current Context: The first locally developed multirole Light Combat Helicopters (LCH) was inducted by the Minister of Defence, Rajnath Singh, into the Indian Air Force (IAF).

The LCH is officially named “Prachand”, meaning “fierce”, and was formally inducted into the Helicopter Unit 143– in Jodhpur Base, Rajasthan.
It is designed and developed by Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL).
It is an indigenously developed 5.5-ton combat helicopter that is equipped with night attack capability, numerous stealth features, landing gear, and armored protection.
With a high-altitude performance capability and a range of 550 km, the LCH is capable of conducting counter-insurgency operations and neutralizing adversaries’ air defense.
The Cabinet Committee on Security (CSS) had earlier approved the procurement of the 15 LCH Limited Series Production (LSP) costing Rs. 3,887 crores.
Out of 15 LCH LSP, 10 are meant for the IAF and 05 are for the Indian Army.