All you need to know about LCH Prachand, set to take part in Air Force event

LCH Prachand is designed and manufactured by Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) under Project Light Combat Helicopter and was inducted on October 3, 2022.

In Short

• Stealth helicopter Prachand inducted on October 3, 2022
• LCH Prachand first helicopter to land in Siachen
• Air Force's 92nd anniversary event on October 6 in Chennai

India’s stealth Helicopter Prachand, a multirole Light Attack Helicopter, is all set to be a part of the 92nd Anniversary of the Indian Air Force, which looks poised to set the sky over Chennai's Marina Beach on fire on October 6.

LCH Prachand is currently stationed at Tambaram Airforce Station training centre in Chennai.

The helicopter is designed and manufactured by Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) under Project Light Combat Helicopter and was inducted on October 3, 2022.

The need for the stealth helicopter was first realised during the 1999 Kargil War.

The Air Force needed a dedicated attack helicopter that could perform at high unforgiving ranges, which gave birth to the designs of the LCH Prachand.

The design of LCH Prachand is based on another indigenous helicopter, Dhruv, which has already proved its combat efficiency and is considered to have reduced the program cost.

Following its maiden take-off on March 29, LCH Prachand was also the first helicopter to land in Siachen.

The helicopter has a tandem seating arrangement where the pilots sit one behind the other as observed in Apache AH 64 or the Mil Mi-28 attack helicopters.

It has been developed with the purpose of performing combat at high altitudes against infantry, destroying enemy air defence systems and against armoured vehicles in urban warfare where manoeuvrability and smaller stealth profiles play a key role.

LCH Prachand has an advanced glass cockpit with integrated avionics and display system with an advanced Target Acquisition and Designation System and the pilot’s helmet plays a crucial role where it is used for target acquisition and a cannon integrated into it.

The stealth helicopter is also equipped with advanced defence systems to counter electronic warfare, Radar Warning Receiver, Missile Approach Warning System and Laser Warning System.

Prachand is capable of carrying various armaments which can include multiple rocket launch pods and four anti-tank guided missiles on hardpoints below each wing.

ABOUT MARINA BEACH EVENT

On October 6, an event will be held to commemorate the 92nd anniversary of the Indian Air Force.

From 11 am to 1.30 pm on the day, a grand flypast will take place over Marina Beach, with an expected audience of 15 lakh people. A parade will follow at Tambaram Air Force Station on October 8.

The event will celebrate the Air Force's anniversary, with the theme "Potent, Powerful, and Self-Reliant". The aircraft on display will include fighter jets like the Sukhoi-30 MKI, Rafale, Mirage 2000, MiG-29, and the indigenously built Tejas.

Transport fleets, helicopters such as the Mi-17 and Prachand LCH (Light Combat Helicopter), and heritage aircraft like the Dakota and Harvard will also participate.