The Union Cabinet is likely to soon give its nod for a deal to acquire 145 Light Combat Helicopters for the Indian Army and Air Force from Hindustan Aeronautics Limited.
The Defence Ministry is strong pushing the case for buying these choppers for operations along the China and Pakistan borders and would be a major step towards creating jobs and expanding aerospace ecosystem within the country,” defence sources told.
Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) had received the tender for 156 Light Combat Helicopters (LCH) in June last year and the project is ready for final clearance after negotiations, they said.
Of the 156 Light Combat Helicopter 90 would be for the Indian Army while 66 would be for the Indian Air Force. The IAF is the lead agency for this joint procurement, they said.
The LCH, which is also known as the Prachand, is the world’s only attack helicopter that can land and take off at an altitude of 5,000 meters (16,400 ft), which makes it ideal to operate in the high-altitude areas of the Siachen glacier and Eastern Ladakh.
The Prachand is also capable of firing a range of air-to-ground and air-to-air missiles and can destroy air defence operations of the enemy.
The government has been emphasising the intention to go for self-reliance in defence manufacturing through Make in India as part of Atmanirbhar Bharat initiatives. The government has placed the biggest order for indigenous defence systems including the 83 Light Combat Aircraft and is in the process of ordering 97 more for which the negotiations have been concluded.
The Cabinet Committee on Security recently cleared the deal for 307 ATAGS howitzers and the deal for it is scheduled to be signed on Wednesday this week. The Rs 7,000 crore deal is divided between two companies including Bharat Forge and Tata group.
