HAL LCH TD-3 Passes Hot & High Altitude Trails at Leh - First Attack Helicopter to Land at Siachen

[Sliver]

what is the expected number of these machines in service? and what is the production rate planned?

 

[C130]

what flir is this?? seems like it got a small sensor compared to other attack helicopters

TSS=8.55 inches (217mm)

LHC looks like 6 inches

 

[Abingdonboy]

what is the expected number of these machines in service? and what is the production rate planned?

Around 200 have been ordered for both the IA and IAF as an initial order, the production rate is yet to be announced but will likely be 20-30/annum, HAL is setting up an entirely new facility to churn these out.

what flir is this?? seems like it got a small sensor compared to other attack helicopters

TSS=8.55 inches (217mm)

LHC looks like 6 inches

ELBIT COMPASSS

 

[SrNair]

what flir is this?? seems like it got a small sensor compared to other attack helicopters

TSS=8.55 inches (217mm)

LHC looks like 6 inches

It is a Light Combat Helicopter-light category and still evolving platform.You cant compare advanced American system with our LCH.
And we are looking for induction in great numbers .For heavy category we are already planning for Apache

 

[Chanakya's_Chant]

what flir is this?? seems like it got a small sensor compared to other attack helicopters

Elbit's Compact Multi Purpose Advance Stabilisation System (CoMPASS) electro-optic/infrared turret - manufacutred by Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL) at Bangalore - it's a third generation 3-5 µm forward-looking infrared (FLIR) sensor.

what is the expected number of these machines in service? and what is the production rate planned?

IAF has ordered 65 units whereas Indian Arm'y AAC (Army Aviation Corps) has placed an order of 114 units. Deliveries will commence in 2017-18. More orders anticipated.

 

[acetophenol]

HAL completes hot, high altitude trials of LCH at Leh​

The Light Combat Helicopter (LCH) undergoing the hot and high altitude trials at Leh recently.​

BENGALURU, SEPT 3: HAL has successfully carried out the hot and high altitude trials of the indigenously designed and developed attack chopper, the Light Combat Helicopter (LCH), at Leh.

“These seasonal trials — including cold weather trials carried out at Leh in February this year — have been completed as part of the certification process. The flight trials at Leh have established hover performance and low-speed handling characteristics of the helicopter under extreme weather conditions at different altitudes (3200 to 4800 metres),” said T Suvarna Raju, CMD, HAL.

“During the trials, the helicopter and systems performed satisfactorily. LCH has also proven its capability to land and take off at the forward landing base in Siachen. LCH is the first attack helicopter to land in the forward bases at Siachen,” he added.

The trials were carried out on the third prototype of LCH (TD3) at Leh at temperatures ranging from 13 to 27 degree centigrade with the participation of user pilots from the Air Force, Army and representatives from CEMILAC and DGAQA. The tests included assessment and validation of flight envelope in ‘hot-and-high’ conditions, culminating in landing at forward bases at geographic elevations of 13,600 feet to 15,800 feet. These landings and take-offs were demonstrated with reasonable weapon load and fuel.

Challenges at Leh

The upper reaches of the Indus river and its tributaries, Nubra and Shyok, are home to the Ladakh and Eastern Karakorum Ranges, with multiple lofty peaks of over 25,000 feet and an average ridgeline elevation of 20,000 feet.

It is also home to the largest glaciated area outside the Polar regions and is sometimes called the ‘Third Pole’. Siachen is the largest glacier here and is central to this region. The area experiences summer during July-August, during which time temperatures soar to above 30 degrees in standard atmosphere conditions.

This mix of extreme altitudes and relatively high temperatures (‘Hot-and-High’) sap helicopter performance and as such few helicopters are able to operate effectively all year.

Source:- HAL completes hot, high altitude trials of LCH at Leh | Business Line

Man, those rocket pods looks puny

Waiting eagerly for an 'armed to teeth' LCH!

 

[C130]

It is a Light Combat Helicopter-light category and still evolving platform.You cant compare advanced American system with our LCH.
And we are looking for induction in great numbers .For heavy category we are already planning for Apache

I know just wondering how big the sensor is compared to a heavier attack helicopter


how much do you think the full production LCH will cost each??

LAHAT would be a perfect missile system for this baby. cheap and effective. think each LAHAT costs $20,000 compared to a $100,000 hellfire and it weighs 1/3 of a hellfire.

 

[Sliver]

Around 200 have been ordered for both the IA and IAF as an initial order, the production rate is yet to be announced but will likely be 20-30/annum, HAL is setting up an entirely new facility to churn these out.

ELBIT COMPASSS

IAF has ordered 65 units whereas Indian Arm'y AAC (Army Aviation Corps) has placed an order of 114 units. Deliveries will commence in 2017-18. More orders anticipated.

for the size of IA and the amount of area that is need to be patrolled as well as the diverse terrain, dont you think even the inital numbers are a bit on the very low side? I would expect that being an in house design and manufacture, it would cost about half of what an import would cost (may be even lower if its made efficiently and given that India is a low cost manufacturing hub though not as good as China at this point). With that costs, and the variants that could be made out of this platform, I was expecting somewhere in the 1000+ units range.

Are there any other platforms in the making? why such a low number? It seems this platform was better received than the fixed wing aircraft under production.

 

[Chanakya's_Chant]

how much do you think the full production LCH will cost each??

$20 million per unit flyaway cost

LAHAT would be a perfect missile system for this baby. cheap and effective. think each LAHAT costs $20,000 compared to a $100,000 hellfire and it weighs 1/3 of a hellfire.

DRDO HeliNa ATGM will be used to arm HAL LCH

​

Looks good. Any plans to put a radar on the helicopter?? Without that, it has limited utility.

No such plans as of yet.

@Abingdonboy Wouldn’t it be much better if instead of the FLIR sensor, a nose-mounted search radar capable of broad area surveillance was mounted on the LCH’s nose, and the FLIR turret be mast-mounted atop the main rotor hub purely for optronic fire-direction purposes?

for the size of IA and the amount of area that is need to be patrolled as well as the diverse terrain, dont you think even the inital numbers are a bit on the very low side? I would expect that being an in house design and manufacture, it would cost about half of what an import would cost (may be even lower if its made efficiently and given that India is a low cost manufacturing hub though not as good as China at this point). With that costs, and the variants that could be made out of this platform, I was expecting somewhere in the 1000+ units range.

Are there any other platforms in the making? why such a low number? It seems this platform was better received than the fixed wing aircraft under production.

As far as reconnaissance/surveillance roles are concerned or patrols for that matter - IA AAC has 43 HAL Cheetah and Chetak light helicopters in service which will be replaced by HAL Light Utility Helicopters (LUH's) & HAL licensed produced Kamov Ka-226T Sergei Helicopters.

DAC MoD had cleared the purchase of 197 Kamov Ka-226T Sergei Helicopters - With this the IAF and IA requirement for LUHs (384 RSH Helicopters) will be fulfilled by 197 Kamov Ka-226T Sergei (147 License-Built + 50 Directly Imported) + 187 HAL Light Utility Helicopters (LUH's).

HAL's LUH is expected to enter flight testing in 2015 end with certification sometime in 2016. The first LUH ground test vehicle(GTV) recently underwent engine ground runs. HAL is now expected to churn out three flying prototypes in quick succession. HAL aims for final operational clearance in 2017, and begin deliveries to the Indian Army and IAF by the end of that year.

Apart for these AAC has placed an order of 151 ALH Dhruv Helicopters out of which 73 have been delivered (are being used for reconnaissance/surveillance roles) and have already inducted 20 ALH-WSI Rudra Helicopters and 40 more are on order.

HAL LUH

HAL ALH-WSI Rudra

HAL ALH Dhruv​

 

[acetophenol]

^^^^ Dhruv with Quad pack LAHAT

 

[Echo_419]

I know just wondering how big the sensor is compared to a heavier attack helicopter


how much do you think the full production LCH will cost each??

LAHAT would be a perfect missile system for this baby. cheap and effective. think each LAHAT costs $20,000 compared to a $100,000 hellfire and it weighs 1/3 of a hellfire.

We have a indeginious missile helina to arm this beast

 

[#hydra#]

for the size of IA and the amount of area that is need to be patrolled as well as the diverse terrain, dont you think even the inital numbers are a bit on the very low side? I would expect that being an in house design and manufacture, it would cost about half of what an import would cost (may be even lower if its made efficiently and given that India is a low cost manufacturing hub though not as good as China at this point). With that costs, and the variants that could be made out of this platform, I was expecting somewhere in the 1000+ units range.

Are there any other platforms in the making? why such a low number? It seems this platform was better received than the fixed wing aircraft under production.

Both IA & IAF never used attack helicopters extensively,they changed this attitude after the commencement of LCH program. So the proposed figures for LCH is not a bad one.

 

[Lonely Hermit]

I know just wondering how big the sensor is compared to a heavier attack helicopter


how much do you think the full production LCH will cost each??

LAHAT would be a perfect missile system for this baby. cheap and effective. think each LAHAT costs $20,000 compared to a $100,000 hellfire and it weighs 1/3 of a hellfire.

Lahat is Laser guided missile with a smaller warhead.
Helina is like your Hellfire a fire and forget missile.
Nag (missile) - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

 

[Sliver]

@Chanakya's_Chant much appreciated for the detailed response along with pics of the other platforms. However, the LCH platform looks far more efficiently designed for patrol roles when compared to the Rudra model - which seems more like a platform to deploy combat units in quick drop off mode.

Probably the hilly terrain qould require such a man - intensive operation and hence a Rudra type platform is in equal need compare to a machine intensive model (the LCH).

The evolution of the LCH could take it much farther than I see in the present levels. I still think 12-14 squadrons of the orders for LCH right now are pretty low for India's threat perception as well as the amount of area it needs to defend.

 

[Lonely Hermit]

During Kargil we had to use Mi17 in attack role with tragic result since mi 24 could not fly at such heights.