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HAL Light Combat Helicopter (LCH) Prachand
OngoingHAL inaugurated the Prachand structure-assembly line at Tumakuru on April 13, 2026 for the 156-helicopter series-production programme.
HAL's Prachand structure-assembly line and automated storage system were inaugurated at the New Helicopter Factory in Tumakuru on April 13, 2026, advancing preparations for series production. The fleet returned to flying on June 11, 2025 after a safety stand-down linked to the January ALH Dhruv crash and replacement of specified sub-components. On March 28, 2025, the Ministry of Defence signed two contracts with HAL for 156 helicopters worth Rs 62,700 crore excluding taxes: 66 for the Air Force and 90 for the Army, with supply to start from the third year and run for five years. The initial 15-helicopter limited-series batch was approved in March 2022 and the Air Force formally inducted and named Prachand at Jodhpur that October; a Mistral-2 firing followed at Chandipur on December 2, 2024. Prachand matters because it gives India a domestically produced attack helicopter designed for high-altitude ground-attack and aerial-combat missions along mountainous frontiers.
Updated 13 Apr 2026
Verified figures
Specifications
| Specification | Value |
|---|---|
| Role | Ground attack and aerial combat; indigenous multirole combat helicopter ↗ |
| Weight class | 5.5-tonne class ↗ |
| Powerplant | Two Shakti turboshaft engines ↗ |
| Cockpit | Tandem cockpit ↗ |
| Maximum speed | 268-275 km/h across HAL's current listing and a 2020 production-ready description ↗ |
| Cruise speed | 260 km/h ↗ |
| Range | 550 km operational; 700 km ferry ↗ |
| Service ceiling | 6,500 m ↗ |
| Rate of climb | 12 m/s ↗ |
| High-altitude payload demonstration | Landed at Siachen forward bases at 4,700 m with a 500 kg load ↗ |
| Armament provision | 20 mm M621 cannon on THL-20 turret; provision for 70 mm rockets, air-to-air and air-to-ground missiles, and laser-guided bombs ↗ |
| Survivability | Reduced visual, aural, radar and infrared signatures; crashworthy landing gear; composite airframe; glass cockpit ↗ |
Spec sources: pib.gov.in ↗ · pib.gov.in ↗ · vayuaerospace.in ↗ · hal-india.co.in ↗ · pib.gov.in ↗
Changelog
Program timeline
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Secretary (Defence Production) Sanjeev Kumar inaugurated the Prachand structure-assembly line and an automated storage and retrieval system at HAL's New Helicopter Factory in Tumakuru.
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Prachand was cleared to resume flying after specified sub-components were replaced following the safety stand-down triggered by the January 5 ALH Dhruv crash.
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The Ministry of Defence signed two HAL contracts worth Rs 62,700 crore excluding taxes for 156 Prachands: 66 for the Indian Air Force and 90 for the Indian Army.
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Prachand successfully fired a Mistral-2 air-to-air missile at the Integrated Test Range, Chandipur, Odisha.
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HAL confirmed in a stock-exchange filing that the Ministry of Defence issued an RFP for 156 Prachands, split 90 for the Army and 66 for the Air Force.
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The Defence Acquisition Council granted Acceptance of Necessity for 156 Light Combat Helicopters for the Air Force and Army under a wider Rs 2.23 lakh crore package.
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The Indian Air Force formally inducted the LCH at Jodhpur, named it Prachand, and assigned it to the newly raised No. 143 Helicopter Unit.
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The Cabinet Committee on Security approved 15 limited-series LCHs - 10 for the Air Force and five for the Army - for Rs 3,887 crore plus Rs 377 crore for infrastructure.
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Defence Minister Rajnath Singh inaugurated HAL's LCH production hangar in Bengaluru; HAL said the type was ready for operational induction and the hangar could support a peak 30 helicopters per year.
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A Prachand prototype completed a 20-minute first flight with the indigenous four-axis automatic flight-control system.
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HAL announced initial operational clearance for the Light Combat Helicopter.
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HAL flew the first LCH prototype at Bengaluru for about 15 minutes, beginning the flight-test phase.
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