Bangalore, Dec 14: India will shortly test fly the indigenously designed and built Light Combat Helicopter (LCH), which will augment the IAF’s fleet of small and highly manoeuvrable rotary flying machines.
A ‘baby’ of the Bangalore-headquartered defence PSU Hindustan Aeronautics Limited, the first prototype of LCH is expected to take to the skies between December 26 and December 29, a senior HAL official told here today.
HAL has already bagged a firm order to deliver 65 LCH to the IAF and 114 to the Army, company sources said.
Unlike HAL?s Advanced Light Helicopter (ALH) “Dhruv” which has been described as broad and bloated, the LCH is very, very sleek. The new light chopper is currently undergoing functional tests, and is expected to be ready for ground run by December 24.
–Agencies