The Indian Air Force is set to experience a major boost to its combat prowess, as the first batch of indigenously-developed Light Combat Helicopter (LCH) will soon be inducted into the Indian Air Force inventory at a ceremony in Jodhpur, Rajasthan today.
India's Defence Minister Rajnath Singh will be present during the ceremony when the indigenous choppers will be inducted into the IAF. He tweeted that the induction of these choppers will provide a huge boost to the IAF's combat prowess.
The new chopper to be inducted into the force is capable of aerial combat and will be of great help to the force in combatting slow-moving aircrafts, armoured columns and drones during conflicts. The induction ceremony will be led by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh who has played a significant role in the progress of cases for purchasing indigenous platforms for cases.
He was also there in the Cabinet Committee on Security which cleared the purchase of fifteen Light Combat Helicopters for the army and air force. Ten out of these fifteen limited series production helicopters are for the IAF, whereas the remaining five are for the army. They can take off from an altitude of 5,000 metres with fuel and weapons, as per officials.
The choppers have been flown in Ladakh as well as desert areas to fulfill the requirements of India's armed forces. In the past few years, the IAF has inducted various helicopters to its fleet such as Apache attack helicopters, Chinooks and now, the LCHs.
The force is also deploying women pilots in the Chinook Choppers which carry routine supply missions to the eastern and northern borders.
The Light Combat Helicopter Limited Series Production (LSPs) are indigenously developed, designed and manufactured modern state-of-the-art combat helicopters containing about 45 pc indigenous content which will increase to more than 55 pc for SP version.
India is continuously increasing its capacity and capability to develop, design and manufacture cutting-edge systems and technologies in the Defence sector under the Atmanirbhar Bharat Abhiyaan.
