Two Hal-built light combat copters deployed in Ladakh

NEWDELHI:: Two light combat helicopters (LCH), produced by state-owned Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL), have been deployed in the Ladakh sector to support the Indian Air Force (IAF) at short notice amid the border row with China along the Line of Actual Control, HAL said in a statement on Wednesday. “It is the lightest attack helicopter in the world designed and developed by HAL to meet the specific and unique requirements of Indian armed forces reflecting the crucial role of HAL in Atma Nirbhar Bharat [self-reliant India campaign],” said HAL chairman R Madhavan.

LCHS figure on the government’s negative import list that seeks to ban the import of 101 different types of weapons, systems, and ammunition over the next five years.

HAL, the state-run plane maker, is expecting an order for 15 LCHS by the year-end--10 for IAF and five for the army. IAF and the army together need 160 LCHS. The deployment of the twin-engine LCH in the Ladakh sector is symbolic in nature and an acknowledgment of the potential that the platform holds but it is yet to be fully weaponised to meet the air force’s requirements, people familiar with the LCH programme said.

“The LCH holds a lot of promise but is not really capable of carrying out missions in its current configuration. It lacks antiarmour and air-to-air weapons. That is work in progress,” an official said on condition of anonymity. The LCH is equipped with 70mm rockets and a chinmounted cannon.

“The LCH may not be carrying its full weapons load as of today but when the weapon integration is complete, it will prove its worth,” said Air Marshal KK Nohwar (retd), director-general, Centre for Air Power Studies.

During a visit to the Ladakh sector last week, IAF vice chief Air Marshal Harjit Singh Arora flew in one of the two LCHS from the Daulat Beg Oldie airbase near the contested LAC.

Arora took off from a high-altitude location to a forward area for a simulated attack on a high altitude target, the HAL statement said. “This was followed by a landing at one of the most treacherous helipads in the region. The LCH successfully demonstrated its quick deployment prowess to forward locations in extreme temperatures,” the statement said.lch is a potent platform because of its state-of-the-art systems and highly accurate weapons (it will eventually carry) that are capable of hitting any type of target by day or night, it added.

The two LCHS deployed in Ladakh are prototypes and the ones that will be supplied to the IAF will come with the desired weapons capability, said an HAL official, speaking on the condition of anonymity.