HAL Light Combat Helicopters ordered

HAL have now formally received orders for the first batch of 15 Light Combat Helicopters, 10 for the Air Force and five

for Army Aviation, each of the helicopters costing Rs 231 crores. According to reports, these “limited series production” LCHs would be built in Bengaluru, at a facility that former defence minister Arun Jaitley had inaugurated in August 2017. For series production of the LCH and perhaps other types, HAL is to establish a new manufacturing facility in Tumkur to build the 114 LCHs the army has committed for plus 65 for the IAF. “The LCH has outstanding performance in hot and high conditions, which is a vital attribute to support Army operations in the rarefied altitudes of the northern borders with China.”