THE FIERCEST CHOPPER

After a long wait, India has an indigenous Light Combat Helicopter that can operate in high altitudes. Prachand is also being talked up as one of the world's best.

- PRADIP R. SAGAR

The operations in the high-altitude battlefield of Kargil in 1999 is vivid in the memory of Group Captain R.K. Narang (retd), a helicopter pilot. Most of all, he recalls how the absence of an attack helicopter had cost the Indian Army dear. When infantry units asked for close air support, Gp Capt. Narang, who was flying in Kargil, claims that the Indian Air Force's then-existing fleet of Russian-origin Mi25 and Mi-35 choppers were ineffective over the craggy terrain of Kargil and Drass because of their weight. "These choppers are heavy, meant for low-altitude operations and are supposed to carry combat troops." The Kargil experience led to an introspection within India's defence establishment, and designs for a Light Combat Helicopter (LCH) were first drawn up in 2003. The government sanctioned the indigenous LCH project in 2006, with state-owned Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd spearheading the effort. There were occasional setbacks, like the absence of some sophisticated infrastructure needed to develop such hardware, but progress was steady-over the next decade, extensive flight testing was carried out on four prototypes, and operational clearances came between 2017 and 2019.