HAL Light Combat Helicopter

HAL · India · first flew 2010 · helicopter

India's dedicated attack helicopter, a slim tandem-seat gunship derived from the Dhruv and optimised for high-altitude operations.

Recognition (WEFT)

W — Wings	High-mounted, rotary
E — Engines	2 × turboshaft, fuselage-mounted
F — Fuselage	Narrow tandem-cockpit attack fuselage
T — Tail	Conventional

WEFT is AircraftIQ's four-point recognition method — how it works.

Spot it by:

Narrow tandem-cockpit attack fuselage
Four-blade Dhruv-derived main rotor
Stub wings with weapon pylons

A narrow stepped tandem-cockpit helicopter with stub weapon wings and a four-blade rotor — leaner than an Apache, and clearly related to the Dhruv utility helicopter it shares a rotor with.

Specifications

The HAL Light Combat Helicopter has a length of 15.8 m (52 ft).
It has a wingspan of 13.2 m (43 ft).
Its maximum speed is 268 km/h (167 mph).
Typical crew: 2 (pilot and gunner).

Figures are for the representative variant described above; marks differ. See how AircraftIQ sources figures.

History

HAL developed the Light Combat Helicopter to give the Indian forces an indigenous armed rotorcraft able to fight in Himalayan conditions. Sharing the Dhruv's dynamic system and Shakti engines, it first flew in March 2010 and entered service, later named Prachand, in the 2020s.

Variants

The type is fielded in closely related Indian Air Force and Indian Army configurations, differing mainly in equipment fit; it draws directly on the earlier weaponised Rudra derivative of the Dhruv.

Where you'll see it

The LCH serves only with the Indian military and has no UK operational history, filling a light-attack niche broadly comparable to roles undertaken by the British Army Apache.

Related aircraft

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