HAL Prachand Helicopter, A New High Altitude Capability for Indian Army and IAF

By Lt Gen BS Pawar

Introduction

In a move that will greatly enhance the combat capability of the Indian Army, especially in high altitude warfare, the Ministry of Defence (MoD) has given its preliminary approval for the acquisition of 156 Prachand Light Combat Helicopters (LCH), indigenously designed, developed and manufactured by Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL).

The Army will get 90 of these Multirole helicopters and Indian Air Force 66.

Approved under the Limited Series Production (LSP) by HAL in Aug 2017 10 machines were handed over to IAF and 5 to the Army.  Both have raised a Combat Helicopter Unit each based on the Prachand LCH. While the Army has based its LCH Squadron at Misamari in the East for deployment on LAC, the IAF has deployed some of its assets in Ladakh. The Prachand has been specifically designed and developed by HAL in conjunction with the Armed Forces to undertake combat operations at extremely high altitudes like the Siachen and Eastern Ladakh in order to fill a critical gap in the Military’s operational capability.

It would be pertinent to mention here that the other attack/armed helicopters held in the Armed Forces inventory like the Russian origin Mi-25/Mi-35, Apache and the Rudra (armed Dhruv) have limitations in high altitudes operations and are best deployed in deserts, plains and to some extent in normal mountainous terrain.

While IAF has about 15 serviceable Mi-25/Mi-35, 22 Boeing AH 64  Apaches and 20 Rudras in its inventory, the Army has approximately 70 Rudras and is looking forward to inducting 6 Apaches into its arsenal this year, (even though initially 11 were approved). The Army has already established a new Squadron at Jodhpur to receive the six Apaches hopefully this year, although indications are that Boeing has some delays and the delivery maybe postponed to 2025.

Prachand LCH Design & Development

The true impetus and trigger for the development of Prachand LCH came from the 1999 Kargil War, which glaringly revealed that the Indian Military lacked a suitable attack helicopter capable of operating unrestricted in High Altitude Terrain. IAF’s Russian origin MI-25/MI-35attack helicopters were not capable of operating in those heights  and environment. An attempt was made to overcome this critical requirement by employing Mi-17 helicopters modified with rocket pods capable of firing rockets at those altitudes. However, these helicopters were extremely vulnerable to hand held SAMs due to their size and restricted manoeuvrability and when one of these Mi-17s was shot down, the entire gambit of employing them in an armed role was abandoned.

It was in this background that the Government approved the development of the LCH by the State owned HAL in 2006 with the first prototype performing its maiden flight in Mar 2010. Thereafter the LCH went through extensive flight testing programme involving a total of four prototypes, during which it proved its high altitude operating credentials by landing on helipads in the Siachen Glacier as well as numerous other high altitude helipads. Following these trials, LCH induction began and as also the Government approval for another 156 Prachands.

Prachand will be a game changer for the Army and IAF.

Private Industry Participation

What is of significance is that the Prachand LCH is being developed with the active participation of private industry, and more than 250 private vendors are involved in manufacturing of components, assemblies, tools, test equipment and preparation of technical documentation. This thrust on public and private sector partnership is a big step towards indigenisation and some level of self-reliance.

As a multirole combat helicopter with the unique and distinct capability to operate at high altitudes unique to Indian Himalayas, Prachand has an advantage over many other attack helicopters in the world.

There are two other attack helicopters reportedly capable of high altitude flying, the Chinese Z-10 and the Turkish T-129 ATAK. However, while their capability to fly in the mountains is confirmed,  their claims of operating at extremely high altitudes as in the Himalayas is unsure.

Prachand LCH Main Features

The Prachand LCH is a derivative of the weaponised version of the HAL manufactured Dhruv helicopter ‘Rudra’, which is already operational and in service with the Indian Army and Indian Air Force.

While the Rudra basically is an armed helicopter, the Prachand LCH is a dedicated attack helicopter, for high altitude ops.

The LCH has a maximum weight of 5.8 tonnes, and a service ceiling of 6,500 meters (21300 feet). The design features a narrow fuselage with stealth profiling, armour protection and systems and equipment for 24 x 7  day/night combat operations at high altitudes. It  has a two-crew tandem cockpit and is equipped with helmet-mounted targeting system as well as advanced electronic warfare and weapon systems.

Power Plant: The LCH is powered by two HAL-Turbomeca Shakti 1H1 turbo shaft engines (1430 shp each) derived from the Safran’s Ardiden turboshaft engine, driving a four blade main rotor and four blade tail rotor. The same engines are also fitted on the Dhruv and Rudra and therefore have been amply tested for their performance in high altitude operations.

The Shakti engine is being jointly developed by French Safran and HAL.

FLIR and Cockpit and Avionics: The Prachand LCH has a tandem seating glass cockpit with Multi Function Displays (MFDs), a target acquisition and designation system with FLIR, laser rangefinder and designator. The cockpit has armour protection and bullet proof glass. Besides the helmet mounted sight, electronic warfare suite with radar warning receiver, laser warning receiver and a missile approach warning system, the LCH is also fitted with a data link for network-centric operations facilitating the transfer of mission data to the other airborne platforms and ground stations for force multiplication.

Armaments and Weapons: Due to its modular design, the Prachand LCH can be armed with a wide variety of weaponry. These could be in terms of machine guns, cannons, rockets and missiles both air to ground and air to air.  While the calibre and make of the weapon systems and armaments could be different, the attack machine is capable of carrying all or a combination of armaments and weapons based on the task and operational requirement. It has a 20 mm Nose Gun integrated with the Helmet Mounted Sighting System, 70mm Rocket System, Anti-Tank Guided Missile System called Helina now renamed Dhruvastra, and the French MBDA Air to Air Missile System, the Mistral 2.

A defining feature of its air combat capability is engagement to destroy UAVs.

Conclusion

There is no doubt that the Prachand LCH will fill a critical void in the Indian Military’s arsenal and boost the operational capability towards warfighting in High Altitudes.

The Governments approval for induction of additional 156 Prachands is a significant development and will ensure the availability of adequate platforms for deployment on the LAC and LC during possible conflicts.

Notably, Helina and Mistral 2 are also fitted on the Rudras. The commonality of the weapons package will make it easier to equip and maintain them, and also make them formidable in teaming ops.