The Hindu Business Line : HAL eyes light combat copter

HINDUSTAN Aeronautics Ltd (HAL) has now set its sights on the light combat helicopter (LCH). It is working with the IAF on a project report on the LCH and hopes to get the project approved when a new government is in place at the Centre, according to the HAL Chairman, Mr N.R.Mohanty.

HAL, he said, was looking at the LCH as a prospective exportable turboprop as well as a replacement for the IAF's HPT-32 aircraft. The IAF alone would need 200 of these aircraft, Mr Mohanty said at the groundbreaking ceremony for a centre of excellence in machining today.

The indigenous light combat helicopter adds to a long line of major projects that HAL is working on — the Sukhoi-30, the light combat aircraft (LCA) called Tejas, the advanced light helicopter Dhruv, and the intermediate jet trainer (IJT), besides the British Hawk advanced jet trainer (AJT) project that it will be getting soon.

Mr Mohanty said this year, HAL expected to improve on its 2003-04 export of Rs 215 crore. It was also banking on a Rs 4,000-crore order from the IAF for 40 LCAs, including the eight trainers sanctioned and that are under batch production. These would be delivered by the end of the decade. IAF also would take 12 IJTs. The fully computerised machining centre is being set up on 37 acres of land over the next 15 months with an investment of Rs 300 crore.