The Indian made Light Combat Helicopter Prachand

At present, General Studies is a very difficult subject for students. To solve this problem, we are presenting articles on specific topics related to current and General Knowledge for you. In upcoming exams like SSC, Banking, UPSC and State-PSC questions related to the defence sector are asked on contemporary issues, the specific topic related to this is “Prachand”.

Why in News?

The Indian Air force formally inducted the indigenously developed light combat aircraft Prachand at the jodhpur airbase and the Indian Army it’s first on September 29.
It has been designed and developed by Hindustan Aeronautics Limited(HAL). It is a multi-role helicopter and is the world’s first helicopter that operates in high-altitude regions like the Siachen glacier as well as desert regions. It is capable of firing both air-to-surface and air-to-air missiles.

The  History of Development of Prachand

• The need for a light combat aircraft was first felt during the Kargil War in 1999. The government first sanctioned such a product in October 2006 and the Indian Army joined it in the year 2013.
• The PRACHAND helicopter after intensive and diversified training received the operational clearances of the initial phases in 2017 and was inducted for production in the year 2020. A new production unit for manufacturing around 30 helicopters was inaugurated by our Defense Minister Rajnath Singh. Prime Minister Narendra Modi handed over the helicopters to the Indian Air Force.
• The Prachand helicopter has been developed with 45% indigenous content while the plan includes increasing it further to 55% in the future.
• The Cabinet Committee on Security which was headed by the Prime minister sanctioned 15 helicopters, 10 for the Indian Air Force and 5 for the Indian Army.

Main Features of Prachand

1. Built by the collaboration of HAL and France’s Saffron company, it is powered by twin Shakti engines.
2. The helicopter weighs around 5.8 tonnes and is a class combat helicopter that can attack both ground and aerial targets.
3. It has a maximum speed of 288kmph and an attack radius of 500km and can operate at around 21000ft altitudes.
4. It has several stealth features like reduced infrared and radar signatures and some crash protective features such as an armoured protection system, improving survivability. 
5. The pilot and co-pilot sit in armoured cock pits to improve the protective gear and their survivability.
6. It has also been equipped with the anti-tank guided missile Dhruvastra and the air-to-air missile Mistral-2 with a range of 6.5 km

Significance of Prachand helicopters

• It has been termed as a big boost in the combat power of the Indian Air Force and the Indian Army.
• It is important to meet the operational needs of our armed forces.
• It can be used in attack and rescue operations in all terrains, especially in high-altitude and desert terrains.
• It has 24×7 operational capability and can be used in all weather for operations. 
• It has agility, manoeuvrability and extended range, making it highly useful.
  It can also be used for both combat and rescue operations simultaneously and can also be used to support ground forces.
• According to HAL, the Indian Armed forces have a total requirement of 160 helicopters, of which 95 are required by the Indian Air Force and 65 by the Indian Armed Force. 
• The helicopters are most probably to be deployed along the China Border joining the Apache helicopters which are already deployed along it.
• The army is most probably to receive 4 helicopters by the end of this month by HAL. 
• The Army is to deploy them along the Eastern Command. The Indian Air Force is to receive them in 7 units of 10, which are to be deployed along the Indo-China border.

Some Facts about Hindustan Aeronautics Limited(HAL)

1. HAL is a public sector enterprise owned by the government of India working in the field of aerospace and defence manufacturing. The enterprise has its headquarters in Bengaluru, Karnataka established in December 1940. It is one of the world’s largest aerospace and defence manufacturers, serving mainly the Indian defence sector.
2. It started production in the year 1942 with some of its early productions being Curtis P-36 Hawk and Harlow PC-5. It has around 21 manufacturing divisions and 4 production units all across the country. Moreover, it has also 11 research and development centres spread across the country.
3. It is managed by a Board of Directors which are appointed by the President of India with the aid and advice of the Ministry of Defense, Government of India.
4. It currently manufactures fighter jets, jet engines and marine gas turbine engines, helicopter-like of light combat helicopters, avionics, spare supply, software development, overhauling and upgrading services to the Indian Armed Forces. The HF-24 Marut a fighter bomber was the first fighter aircraft to be indigenously built in India by HAL.