IAF Prachand: Top facts about India's own Light Combat Helicopter (LCH)

The Indian Air Force (IAF) on Monday formally inducted the first batch of its indigenously built Light Combat Helicopter (LCH) 'Prachand' to boost its combat prowess. Developed by state-run aerospace major Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd, LCH has many similarities with the Advanced Light Helicopter Dhruv, said reports.

Here are some important facts

• LCH Prachand boasts a 5.8-tonne twin-engine primarily designed for deployment in high-altitude areas
• It is armed with air-to-air missiles, 20 mm turret guns, rocket systems and other weaponry systems
• This helicopter has some of the best-in-market stealth features, armored-shield systems, and dark-mode attack capability.
• Its anti-crash landing gear for better survivability among other tech like radar and IR signatures gives it an additional edge
• Its aviation technologies like glass cockpit and composite airframe are indigenously built
• LCH Prachand can take down the enemies over an extended range of region. It also has high altitude performance and all-weather combat besides combat search and rescue capability.
• It can also fare well in destroying enemy air defence and counter-insurgency (CI) operations
• Notably, the Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) had approved the procurement of 15 LCH Prachand at a cost of Rs 3,887 crore. While 10 helicopters has been inducted into the IAF, five would be reserved for the Indian Army.