Cabinet approves biggest-ever ₹62,000-crore deal to buy 156 combat helicopters

India’s defence boost: The Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS), chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, approved the biggest-ever deal to buy 156 Light Combat Helicopters worth over ₹62,000 crore for the Indian Army and Air Force from state-run defence major Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL).

The defence ministry will procure combat helicopters named ‘Prachand’ from HAL at a cost of ₹62,700 crore to bolster the combat capability of the military. This would be HAL’s biggest order so far, and the choppers would be manufactured at their plants in Bengaluru and Tumkur in Karnataka.

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How will HAL’s helicopter ‘Prachand’ boost India’s combat power?

Light Combat Helicopter (LCH) Prachand is India’s first indigenously designed and developed combat helicopter, capable of operating at an altitude of over 5000 metres. Following the CCS decision, the defence ministry signed two contracts with HAL for the procurement.

The defence ministry said the first contract it signed with HAL was for the supply of 66 Prachand helicopters to the Indian Air Force (IAF), while the second one was for the purchase of 90 choppers for the Indian Army.

HAL received the tender for 156 Light Combat Helicopters (LCHs) in June last year. The IAF is the lead agency for this joint procurement. The LCH is the world’s only attack helicopter to land and take off at 5,000 meters (16,400 ft).

It is ideal for operating in the high-altitude areas of the Siachen glacier and Eastern Ladakh. The Prachand can also fire a range of air-to-ground and air-to-air missiles and destroy the enemy’s air defence operations.

Developed by HAL, the 5.8-tonne twin-engine LCH is armed with various weapon systems and can destroy enemy tanks, bunkers, drones, and other assets in high-altitude regions. The helicopter has modern stealth characteristics, robust armour protection, and a night attack capability. It is fully capable of operating in Siachen, the world’s highest battlefield.

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The ministry said the supply of these helicopters “shall commence from the third year and will be spread over the next five years”. It said the choppers would enhance the armed forces’ combat capability at high altitudes.

How will HAL’s combat helicopters help India’s economy?

Defence sources told news agency ANI that the 156 choppers would be divided between the Indian Army (90) and the Indian Air Force for operations along the China and Pakistan borders. “This would be a major step towards creating jobs and expanding India’s aerospace ecosystem.”

“This combat helicopter has a large number of components designed and manufactured in India, and it is planned to achieve an overall indigenous content of over 65 per cent during the execution of this procurement,” it said. “This will involve over 250 domestic companies, mostly MSMEs, and will generate over 8,500 direct and indirect jobs,” said the defence ministry.

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said Prachand is a powerful machine capable of operating from high-altitude terrain and carrying out precision strikes at high-altitude targets. “The Cabinet’s decision taken today will create more than 8,500 jobs. This is a proud moment for India’s Make in India journey,” he said.

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The government has been emphasising its intention to go for self-reliance in defence manufacturing through Make in India as part of Atmanirbhar Bharat initiatives. The government placed the biggest order for Indigenous defence systems, including the 83 Light Combat Aircraft, and is ordering 97 more.

Other Cabinet decisions

The Cabinet Committee on Security recently cleared the deal for 307 ATAGS howitzers, which is scheduled to be signed on Wednesday this week. The ₹7,000 crore deal is divided between two companies, Bharat Forge and the Tata group.

The defence ministry also signed a contract with Metrea Management for “wet-leasing” a one-flight refuelling aircraft (FRA) to provide air-to-air refuelling training to IAF and Indian Navy pilots. Metrea will provide an FRA (KC135 Aircraft) in six months, the first FRA to be wet-leased by the IAF.