The Indian Army’s Light Combat Helicopter 'Prachand'
| Photo Credit:
Gajraj Corps-X/ANI
Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) has entered into partnerships with Bharat Earth Movers Limited (BEML) and Adani Defence Systems and Technologies Limited for manufacturing fuselage structures for the Prachand Light Combat Helicopter (LCH), expanding the indigenous copter production ecosystem.Under the agreements, BEML and Adani Defence will manufacture 48 and 42 fuselage structures, respectively, the HAL announced on Friday. The move comes in the backdrop of contractual obligation HAL is under to start supplying 156 Prachand LCH along with training and associated equipment from 2028 to Indian Air Force and Indian Army.The Ministry of Defence on March 28, 2025, signed two contracts with HAL for supplying 66 LCHs to the IAF and additional 90 of them to the Indian Army. The deal was worth ₹62,700 crore, excluding taxes. The supply of the helicopters will start from the third year and get completed over the next five years, as per the contracts.“This partnership marks a significant step in strengthening India’s aerospace ecosystem. For the first time, the private industry is being integrated into the production of helicopter fuselage structures. This partnership will expand capacity, strengthen the domestic supply chain and contribute to enhancing indigenous aerospace manufacturing capabilities,” said Ravi K, CMD of HAL.Tushar Ranjan Behera, General Manager, Helicopter Division of HAL signed the agreement with Cmde (Retd.) R G K Rao, ED, Aerospace & Maritime for BEML and Prasanna Karthik, Vice President, for Adani Defence in the presence of the senior leadership of the three companies.HAL has augmented the capacity and already commenced production of the 156 Prachand LCHs at its new helicopter manufacturing facility in Tumakuru, Karnataka. The establishment of two additional production lines will further enhance overall manufacturing capability for the LCH programme and support the timely delivery of the helicopters to the Indian armed forces, HAL stated.The expanded industrial base is also expected to create opportunities for a wider network of Indian MSMEs, component manufacturers and aerospace suppliers, contributing to the development of specialised capabilities and strengthening the domestic aerospace supply chain, it observed.The 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. The LCH is India’s first indigenously designed and developed combat helicopter having a capability of operating at an altitude of over 5,000 meters.Published on August 14, 2026
