HAL LCH| Updates and Discussions

[Hindustani78]

During fiscal 2016-17 the company received orders worth 21,000 crore that included 12 Dornier-228 aircraft for the Indian Navy; 32 ALH light helicopters for the Navy and the Coast Guard; and AL-31 FP engines for the fighter Sukhoi-30 MkI.

The year also saw the first flight of two HAL-designed aircraft—basic trainer HTT-40 and the Light Utility Helicopter LUH, besides carriage trials of the indigenous light fighter LCA fixed with a mid-air refuelling probe.

On the aeroengines front, HAL launched the metal cutting for its 1200-kW HTSE 1200 turboshaft engine.

 

[Water Car Engineer]

 

[Water Car Engineer]

 

[Hindustani78]

The Light Utility Helicopter's second prototype, LUH PT2, which made its first flight on May 23 from HAL airport, Bengaluru. | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement

http://www.thehindu.com/news/cities...irst-flight/article18530799.ece?homepage=true

The Light Utility Helicopter's second prototype, LUH PT2, made its first flight here on Monday and flew smoothly for 22 minutes, its creator Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd said on Tuesday. The flight was described as snag-free.

The three-tonne-class LUH is being developed as a reconnaissance and surveillance vehicle for military and civil users.

HAL said it expects to freeze the helicopter's design by the end of this year. After necessary certification it would manufacture it along with its components at its facility coming up in Tumakuru.

Towards that, it was improving the flight envelop or range of PT1 and would conduct a few more test flights of the two versions in the coming months.


The second prototype aircraft has a modified tail boom and other improvements over PT1, which first flew on September 6, 2016 and later during the February Aero India 2017.

HAL CMD T. Suvarna Raju called it a part of their Make in India campaign in rotary and fixed-wing aircraft.

When ready, the LUH is designed to fly 350 km at a speed of 220 kmph; it can reach a maximum height of 6.5 km and carry a payload of 400 kg.

Chief Test Pilot Wing Cdr (retd) Unni K. Pillai and Test Pilot Wing Cdr (retd) Anil Bhambhani piloted the helicopter.

 

[Abingdonboy]

Updates on LUH program:

- 2nd prototype (with modified tailboom) flew within 8 months of 1st prototype's first flight
- 3rd (and final) prototype will be ready within the next 5 months
- Design will be frozen by the end of 2017
- IOC expected in 2018
- Production from new greenfield plant (Tumkur) in 2019-20 (intially 30/year, from 2023 60/year under phase 2)

 

[Hindustani78]

http://www.deccanherald.com/content/613285/light-utility-helicopter-pt-2.html
The second prototype of the Light Utility Helicopter (LUH PT-2) completed its maiden flight at the premises of state-owned aviation major, Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd (HAL) here on Monday.

Coming close on the heels of the maiden flight of HTT-40 (PT-2), the helicopter's first flight was flown by Chief Test Pilot Wing Cdr (Retd) Unni K Pillai and Test Pilot Wing Cdr (Retd) Anil Bhambhani. The flight duration was 22 minutes. Both the pilots reported zero snag.

HAL chairman and managing director T Suvarna Raju said the maiden flights of the two aircraft were part of the company's progress towards ‘Make in India’ campaign both in fixed and rotary wing segments. These prototypes add strength to ongoing test flights to achieve operational clearance cutting the time frame, he said.

The LUH PT2 has modified tail boom and incorporates improvements based on feedback from testing of LUH PT1. The first flight of LUH PT1 was carried out on September 6, 2016 and further envelope expansion flights are in progress.

LUH PT-1 had made its flight demonstration during the international air show Aero India-2017 held in February.

HAL has proposed to carry out further flight testing on PT1 and PT2 in the months ahead to freeze the helicopter configuration by the end of this year. Senior officials from HAL, representatives from the Indian Air Force and Army were present during the flight.

The LUH is a three-ton class new generation helicopter being indigenously developed by HAL to meet the requirements of both military and civil operators. The helicopter, with glass cockpit, will be deployed for reconnaissance, surveillance roles and as a light transport helicopter.

The helicopter will be capable of flying at 220 kmph with a service ceiling of 6.5 km and a range of 350 km with 400 kg payload. The LUH is powered by TM/HAL Ardiden 1U/Shakti 1U single turbo shaft engine with sufficient power margins to cater to demanding high altitude missions.

An integrated facility for manufacturing the LUH has been planned in Tumakuru. Besides systems and components, composites, transmission system, engine, ground test and flight test facilities, the unit will also house repair and overhauling facilities for the helicopter. Prime Minister Narendra Modi had laid the foundation stone for the facility on January 3, 2016.

 

[Water Car Engineer]

 

[bananarepublic]

i dont understand the purpose of LCH of it being a high altitude attack helicopter as after a certain height all kinds of attack helicopters become useless and in pak-india scenario with all of the high mountain ranges i think it is useless..

 

[Lord Of Gondor]

in pak-india scenario with all of the high mountain ranges i think it is useless..

Well the Indian Army Air Corps and the IAF have a different take and see the LCH as an essential tool for Hi-Alt Warfare.

"We are extremely satisfied with the trials and the programme is on the expected flightpath. The flight trials at Leh have established hover performance and low speed handling characteristics of the helicopter under extreme weather conditions at different altitudes (3200-4800 m)," Raju said. HAL claimed that LCH has proven its capability to land and take off at Forward Landing Base in Siachen. "We are happy to announce that LCH is the first attack helicopter to land in Forward Bases at Siachen," Raju said. LCH's 3rd prototype did the Leh duties HAL said that the trials were carried out on the third prototype of LCH (TD3) at Leh. The temperatures during the trials ranged from 13 to 27 degree centigrade. The trial team included pilots from the Indian Air Force, Army and representatives from the certifying agencies -- CEMILAC and DGAQA. Among the tests conducted includes, assessment and validation of flight envelope in ‘hot-and-high' conditions, culminating in landing at forward bases at geographic elevations of 13,600 feet to 15,800 feet. "The landings and take-offs were demonstrated with reasonable amount of weapon load and fuel. This is another critical feature of the current trials," Raju added.

"The upper reaches of the Indus river and its tributaries, Nubra and Shyok are home to the mighty Ladakh and Eastern Karakorum Ranges, with multiple lofty peaks over 25,000 feet and an average ridgeline elevation of 20,000 feet. It is also home to the largest glaciated area outside the Polar Regions and is sometimes called the Third Pole," says an official.

"This mix of extreme altitudes and relatively high temperatures (‘hot-and-high') saps helicopter performance and as such, a few types of helicopters are able to operate effectively all year around," he adds.

http://www.oneindia.com/india/lch-becomes-first-attack-helicopter-to-land-at-siachen-1857693.html

 

[bananarepublic]

Well the Indian Army Air Corps and the IAF have a different take and see the LCH as an essential tool for Hi-Alt Warfare.



http://www.oneindia.com/india/lch-becomes-first-attack-helicopter-to-land-at-siachen-1857693.html

but you know i have many relative and friends who are deployed in areas like siachin they say it is easier to shoot down helicopters and they can do it using heavy guns remember these areas have mountains easily reaching heights of 5000m and to climb them with weaponry would take few hours or so.
i am not saying it is useless it is an excellent helicopter for areas like LOC and its maneuverability is excellent for close mountain ranges
but i am more concerned about high altitude areas where it is easier to shoot down...

 

[Lord Of Gondor]

but you know i have many relative and friends who are deployed in areas like siachin.

Pak Army is nowhere near Siachen.
Even the Saltoro Ridge is under firm Indian control.

but i am more concerned about high altitude areas where it is easier to shoot down.

Maybe in relative terms. But the fact is the Indian Army's Hi Altitude lifeline are the Helicopters and the Dhruv and LCH are the most suited for sustaining our positions.
Not too many Choppers can do these:

t was a brutal test of helicopter and pilot. As the Dhruv Advanced Light Helicopter (ALH) shuddered towards the icy helipad on a 21,000-foot ledge overlooking the Siachen Glacier, the pilots could see wreckage from earlier helicopter crashes dotting the base of the vertical ice walls on either side. Ahead lay the Indian army’s infamous Sonam Post, the highest inhabited spot on earth, and an extreme example of why the military so urgently wants the Dhruv, which has been customised by Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) for high altitude operations.
Very quickly, the Dhruv demonstrated its superiority over the military’s tiny, single-engine Cheetah helicopters, which can barely lift 20 kilos of payload to Sonam. Touching down on a tiny H-shape formed on the snow with perforated iron sheets, the Dhruv’s pilots signalled to one of the soldiers on Sonam to climb aboard. Effortlessly, the Dhruv took off, circled the post and landed again. Another soldier clambered onto the helicopter and the process was repeated, then with a third, and then a fourth soldier. Even with all Sonam’s defenders on board, the twin-engine Dhruv --- painted incongruously in the peacock regalia of the IAF’s aerobatics team, Sarang --- lifted off and landed back safely.

“This helicopter is simply unmatched at high altitudes”, says Group Captain Unni Nair, HAL’s chief helicopter test pilot, who flew the Dhruv that August morning during “hot-and-high” trials at Sonam. That term means flying at extreme altitudes in summer, when the heat-swollen oxygen is even thinner than usual. “The army wanted the Dhruv to lift 200 kilos to Sonam; we managed to carry 600 kilos.”

http://ajaishukla.blogspot.in/2011/03/in-siachen-dhruv-proves-world-beater.html
Dhruv at Sonam Post(Altitude 21000Ft.)

 

[bananarepublic]

Pak Army is nowhere near Siachen.
Even the Saltoro Ridge is under firm Indian control.


Maybe in relative terms. But the fact is the Indian Army's Hi Altitude lifeline are the Helicopters and the Dhruv and LCH are the most suited for sustaining our positions.
Not too many Choppers can do these:

http://ajaishukla.blogspot.in/2011/03/in-siachen-dhruv-proves-world-beater.html
Dhruv at Sonam Post(Altitude 21000Ft.)

thanks for the info but what i want to ask is what specific areas is the LCH made for

 

[Lord Of Gondor]

thanks for the info but what i want to ask is what specific areas is the LCH made for

Hi Altitude warfare(So North/North East Sectors). After the Kargil War (where the shortcomings of the Mi35 were a massive blow:

There was urgency to build up force levels and evict the intruders. A request was also made for Mi-25/35 gunships to attack the points occupied by the intruders. This request was made with increased urgency again on May 10. It was then explained that these gunships had not, till then, crossed the Zojila Pass due to their weight/altitude restrictions (Well after the Kargil Ops, the IAF successfully flew a stripped down Mi-35 across the Zojila Pass during winter when temperature and air density conditions are favourable, and carried out firing practice).

)a lot of lessons were learnt.

 

[X_Killer]

i dont understand the purpose of LCH of it being a high altitude attack helicopter as after a certain height all kinds of attack helicopters become useless and in pak-india scenario with all of the high mountain ranges i think it is useless..

In 1999, when enemy forces cowardly attack India from Kargil regions. IAF shows its requirements for high altitude attack helicopters which leads to modify 3 mi-17s to armed with rocket pods.
India has too much mountains in border areas which are surrounded by such coward forces. Siachen, aksai chin and northeast are some of the most gifted regions which requires such attack helicopters.
That's why both IAF and IA shows their keen interest to Induct LCH.

 

[kenyannoobie]

Fyi,Kenya is in talks with your guys for co production! Nothing signed yet but watch this space.