Kumar Bahukhandi
India approves biggest deal to buy 156 LCH helicopters – Photo: ANI
A historic defense deal was approved in the meeting of the Cabinet Committee on Defense Affairs (CCCS) today. The purchase of 156 indigenous helicopters has been approved in the CCS meeting. Defense officials have said that this is the biggest defense deal till date.
India has decided to buy 156 Made in India Prachand helicopters. These are Light Combat Helicopters (LCH). A report quoting a defense official said that this is the biggest defense deal ever approved by the central government. This decision was taken in the meeting of the Cabinet Committee on Security Affairs (CCS) held today. The defense official said that the Defense Ministry has signed contracts worth more than Rs 2.09 lakh crore this financial year.
Indigenisation of weapons will get a boost
This purchase will not only increase India’s self-reliance in the defense sector, but will also promote indigenization of weapons. Let us tell you that so far HAL has built 15 Prachand helicopters, including ten for the Indian Air Force and five LCH Prachand for the Army.
Features of LCH Prachand
LCH Prachand can seat two people. It is 51.10 feet long, 15.5 feet high. Its weight with full military equipment is 5800 kg. Weapons of 700 kg can be installed on it. At the same time, the maximum speed is 268 km per hour. Prachand’s range is 550 km. It can fly continuously for 3 hours and 10 minutes. It can also take off at an altitude of 16,400 feet with weight. Apart from this, Prachand also has a 20 mm cannon.
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Eurocopter Tiger and Apache are out of reach
Defense expert and retired army officer Vats Rohit says that traditional players like US Apache and AH-1Z Viper, the big rivals of LCH Prachand, are undoubtedly powerful, but due to the expensive price of Apache (more than $ 30 million) and the price of AH-1Z Viper (more than $ 20 million), along with the restrictions imposed on exports due to US foreign policy, it is not so easy to acquire them. At the same time, Eurocopter Tiger, which is seen as a rival of Apache, costs more than $ 40 million, due to which not every country can afford to buy it. France and Spain are considering the upgrade of Eurocopter Tiger.
