RUDRA OR LCH — Desi Rivalry?
Kargil war of 1999 is one of the most difficult war fought in the history of the world, Indian army won a war fighting a literal uphill battle against a well dug in enemy which had the advantage of both element of surprise and geography. Despite the victory the cost at which we won the war also showed some critical deficiencies in Indian preparedness or strategy, 527 bravehearts had to make extreme sacrifice to win the war. One critical deficiency that was found was the lack of dedicated attack helicopters which could perform missions at such altitude, Indian airforce used Mi 24/35 attack helicopters which were sent towards Kargil but failed to cross the Srinagar area & then it was decided to use Mi 17 transport helicopters, armed with rocket pods to attack the heights of Tololing & on May 28 1999 , third of the four Mi 17 gunship formation was shot down by enemy stinger manpad which led to casualty of 4 crew members.
After the end of Kargil it was clear that India requires an attack helicopter which was fast and agile even at high altitudes. The induction of HAL ALH aka Dhruv in 2002 boosted confidence & then in 2006 HAL declared the intention to develop an attack helicopter based on Hal Dhruv which was termed LCH or light combat helicopter.
Now as with every development there were delays in development of LCH as despite it being derived from Dhruv it saw major changes to the design and then armed forces which were using ALH decided that in meanwhile it would be a faster solution to develop an attack helicopter version of Hal ALH without comprehensive modifications to the structure of the helicopter itself. This version is what we know as HAL RUDRA or ALH MK IV. ALH MK IV got its IOC in 2012 & production started in 2013.
Now the advantage of this development is that instead of one today India has 2 indigenous attack helicopters which are HAL LCH & HAL RUDRA, but this itself is also a problem. Today when HAL LCH is ready for production & even being used by IAF in Ladakh where India has been pushed by CCP into a faceoff, we still are awaiting mass order for LCH, an order of about 180 LCH was envisioned in beginning which were to be shared between IA (114) & IAF (65). The hesitation stems for various factors but one major factor is the presence and wide acceptance of HAL Rudra in force and IA & IAF have about 90 or so helicopter already in service with total order being over 110 helicopters.
The biggest factor is cost, HAL RUDRA costs about 140 crores or 20 million each, so if HAL can somehow bring down the cost of LCH to a near if not equal price then it would allow HAL to go ahead with pending sensor integration like integration of the radar mast, MAWS (Missile Approach Warning System) etc. If this happens at best the cost of fully equipped LCH will be just 30–40 % higher than the cost of ALH MK IV which is not really much.
Now the case comes to why we need to order LCH and why LCH is an even better option than an already great performing Rudra which is already inducted into forces in good number. Despite Rudra being an excellent platform & being derived from same ALH platform both share many critical components like engine and have near identical endurance, service ceiling & range there are certain advantages that LCH has over Rudra, these advantages come from fact that the basic ALH design was not specifically done for the role of an attack helicopter while the basic LCH design was done with exactly its attack role in mind.
Eliminating similarities and capabilities, certain advantages Hal LCH has over Hal Rudra are
- LCH has higher chance of survival against hostile enemy due to its sleeker design which was possible because of tandem cockpit configuration.
- It is designed such that its IR & acoustic signature is reduced compared to a more conventionally designed Rudra making LCH less susceptible to enemy MANPADS or IR SAM. Design is optimized even for RCS or radar cross section.
- LCH is also a very agile platform, even more so than Rudra which itself is an impressive in agility. This agility is maintained even at high altitudes where LCH is unmatched, it is one of, if not the most agile attack helicopters in world.
- LCH is armoured and has a crash resisting tricycle wheel landing gear which minimizes the chances of pilot fatalities in case of crash.
- LCH prototype TD-2 was first Indigenous craft which sported a digital camouflage pattern which with the sleeker stealthier profile of the fuselage of the helicopter reduces its EO signature as well making it difficult to spot for enemy combatants as well as EO systems.
These are just few advantages or bonus features LCH has over the Rudra.
Now even if the final contractual price of LCH might be a tad bit higher than the Rudra then too we have to understand that it also has few overall advantages over the more conventional design & as we know the Economic of Scale with a larger order size or lot size the manufacturing ecosystem gains further stability which leads to decline in price of production, so if ordered in adequate numbers the price of LCH will decline further, bridging price gap with Rudra which has enjoyed a quite large order size of over 110 helicopters has already exploited EOS.
Rudra & LCH are sibling aircrafts and not rivals, they are meant to compliment each other & serve the nation, these should not be seen as alternatives. Rudra is a great platform which has been inducted & ordered in sufficient numbers & is serving nation well, today we have an even better alternative in form of LCH & we must support it.
Now leaving aside comparison of two Indian helicopters & comparing them to the newest & most potent attack helicopter in Indian armed force inventory US made Apache AH-64E which IAF has 22 & IA has ordered 6.
Apache is a heavy attack helicopter with higher payload & capabilities like Longbow radar but the same Apache costed Indian Army 930 million USD for 06 attack helicopters (including spares & support) but if we go into layman cost, costed IA over 150 million $ per piece, this is prohibitively more expensive than the indigenous helicopters. Neither IAF or IA in long term afford to procure or purchase Apache in large numbers & if we do then the country will be dependent on America for future support, for a growing power like India this dependence is crippling & unacceptable.
The high cost of Apache is one reason which keeps it out of reach of most nations inventory, even rich nations which have it in inventory are often lacking in numbers, LCH can be equally if not much more attractive offering from price point for not just Indian armed forces but also for world. LCH as a true attack helicopter can be the first major helicopter export by HAL, even beating the export success of HAL Dhruv which is in use by about half dozen countries in various capabilities and roles.
HAL LCH is ready to fly & provide its much required service to the country, it very well aligns with the MAKE IN INDIA & promises to make Bharat Aatmnirbhar, now instead of holding it down with red tapism & doubts its high time we let it soar to new heights & support it.
About the Author — Hitesh Adhikari is a mechanical engineer by education, worked in automotive sector for a brief period of time. A defence enthusiast who loves to read & write on defence & strategic subjects. Started DEFENCEGLOBE in 2015 to help armed force aspirants & defence enthusiasts learn about systems & give out his analysis of things. He tweets under the handle @defenceglobe
