2 HAL Helicopters Deployed For Operations In Leh

The Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) produced two Light Combat Helicopters (LCH) that have been deployed on Wednesday for operations at Leh sector to support IAF missions, the company said in an official statement.

"It is the lightest attack helicopter in the world designed and developed by HAL to meet the specific and unique requirements of Indian Armed Forces reflecting the crucial role of HAL in "Atma Nirbhar Bharat", HAL's CMD, R Madhavan.

The Vice Chief of Air Staff, Air Marshal Harjit Singh Arora took part in one such operation along with HAL test pilot, Wg Cdr (Retd), Subash P John recently by taking-off from high altitude location to a forward area for a simulated attack on a high altitude target, the Bengaluru-headquartered company said in a statement.

"This was followed by a landing at one of the most treacherous helipads in the region. The LCH successfully demonstrated its quick deployment prowess to forward locations in extreme temperatures," it said.

LCH is a potent weapon platform because of its state-of-the-art systems and highly accurate weapons that are capable of hitting any type of target by day or night, according to HAL. The other features of LCH include its ability to operate in the complete Area of Responsibility (AOR) and altitudes.

It has capability to carry adequate weapon load at high altitudes under varied conditions. All these characteristics make it most suitable for hot and high altitude operations, the statement added.

The IAF and the Indian Army together need around 160 LCHs, HAL said. The Defence Acquisition Council (DAC) had approved the proposal for an initial batch of 15 LCHs, the statement said.