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LCH has successfully completed all weapon integration tests and is ready for operational induction. Sanjay Simha Photo

Light Combat Helicopter completes air-to-air weapon trials

HAL Press Release | January 17, 2019

Estimated reading time 2 minutes, 53 seconds.

The Light Combat Helicopter (LCH), indigenously designed and developed by Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL), has achieved a unique milestone by successfully carrying out air-to-air missile firing on a moving aerial target.

LCH has successfully completed all weapon integration tests and is ready for operational induction. Sanjay Simha Photo
LCH has successfully completed all weapon integration tests and is ready for operational induction. Sanjay Simha Photo

During the tests conducted in integrated test range at Chandipur, Odisha, recently, retired wing commander Subash P John, VM, test pilot; retired colonel Ranjit Chitale, flight test engineer from HAL; and Gp Capt Rajeev Dubey, test pilot from the Indian Air Force (IAF) executed a flawless mission and achieved a direct hit on the aerial target, destroying it completely.

Shri R Madhavan, CMD-HAL said this is the first time in the country that a helicopter has carried out air-to-air missile engagement. None of the helicopters with the military services in the country have demonstrated such a capability. With this, LCH has successfully completed all weapon integration tests and is ready for operational induction, he added.

Other weapons on LCH include a 20-millimeter turret gun and 70-mm rockets, the firing trials of which have already been completed last year.

LCH is the only attack helicopter in the world capable of operating at altitudes as high as Siachen glacier. LCH was designed and developed by Rotary Wing Research & Design Centre (RWRDC) of HAL in response to the operational needs of the Indian Armed Forces, and its capabilities far exceed that of contemporary attack helicopters of its class.

Other weapons on LCH include a 20-millimeter turret gun and 70-mm rockets. Sanjay Simha Photo

Equipped with helmet mounted sight and a forward looking infrared sighting system, LCH pilots can now detect and destroy any target on ground or in the air. Using these sights, pilots can now launch a missile onto any target without having to turn the helicopter. The fire and forget missile is effective against all types of aerial threats, including UAVs and microlight aircraft. Capable of operating from dispersed locations and flying at ultra low levels, LCH can now effectively provide a protective umbrella from all aerial threats.

The DAC has accorded approval for procurement of the initial batch of 15 LCHs (10 for IAF and five for Army).

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