Make in India: Cabinet Committee on Security clears purchase of 15 light combat helicopters

The cabinet committee on security, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, approved the procurement of 15 light combat helicopters (LCH) from Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) for the Indian air force (IAF) and army at a cost of Rs 3,887 crore on Wednesday.

The approval comes with infrastructure sanctions costing Rs.377 crore for the 15 limited series production (LSP) helicopters. While the defence ministry is expected to award the contract to HAL soon, the state-owned plane builder has already sent some helicopters to the two services in preparation for the deal.

LCH is on the government's negative import list, which aims to ban the import of certain weapons, systems, and ammunition over the next five years in order to increase defence self-reliance. The government has banned the import of 209 defence products in the last two years.

Indigenous features

According to the defence ministry, LCH features 45 per cent indigenous content by value, which would gradually climb to more than 55 per cent for the series production version. Officials familiar with the situation say HAL expects more orders because the IAF and Army have a combined estimated requirement of 160 LCHs. The IAF will receive ten of the original 15 LSP helicopters, while the army will receive five.

The production of LCH will lessen India's reliance on imported combat helicopters. The helicopter has export potential, as per the ministry, due to its diverse features. The LCH can carry out a variety of missions, including destroying enemy air defences, targeting slow-moving aircraft and remotely piloted aircraft, destroying high-altitude bunkers, and counter-insurgency operations in the jungle and urban environments, as well as providing support to ground forces, according to the ministry.