The Light Combat Helicopter (LCH), being developed by the Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL), has successfully completed week-long hot weather flight trials at Jodhpur. It is expected to achieve Initial Operational Clearance (IOC) and enter series production by the end of the year.
“Test flights were carried out in the temperature range of 39 to 42 degrees Celsius. These were done with the involvement of customer pilots from the Indian Air Force and the Army in the presence of representatives from the Regional Centre for Military Airworthiness and the Directorate General of Aeronautical Quality Assurance,” T. Suvarna Raju, CMD of HAL said on Friday.
The LCH prototype TD-3 was ferried from Bengaluru to Jodhpur for the trials and the testing involved temperature survey of engine bay and hydraulic system, assessment of performance, handling qualities and loads at different all up weights, low speed handling and height-velocity diagram establishment.
Cold weather trials had been satisfactorily completed in March at Leh at a temperature of minus 18 degrees Celsius and altitude of 4.1 km. High altitude performance and low-speed handling were also tested as part of the trials.
The LCH is a 5.8-tonne, twin-engine, armed helicopter designed specifically to meet the requirements of the Army and the Air Force. The HAL already has a firm order for 65 from the Air Force and 114 from the Army. This number is expected to go up given the Army’s plan to have attack helicopters included in all formations for close air support.
The government earlier informed Parliament that a production plan for LCH had been made for 2017-18, subject to a firm order from the Indian Air Force for limited series production.
