Bharat Rakshak

The first batch of the Russian Mil Mi-17B5 helicopters has arrived at an air base in the Indian northwestern state of Punjab.

For years, India’s air forces have been using Russian Mil Mi-17 helicopters in the conditions of rough mountain terrain in the states of Ladakh, Arunachal Pradesh and Himachal Pradesh.

The recent batch consists of upgraded versions of the helicopter to be used for the transportation of troops and military vehicles and for rescue and emergency operations.

The contract for the supply of 80 helicopters worth $1,354bln was clinched in 2008.

All assembly work and checks will be performed by Russian experts accompanying the cargo.

Yeah..but maybe we are reading too much in this spelling

Interesting. It is spelt Rudhra here. Rudra has a soft "dh" and not a hard "ddh", or its a southie spelling like "Karthik" versus "Kartik"

Bangalore. The armed version of India’s Dhruv Advanced Light Helicopter (ALH) touched 20,000 feet in a test flight early August while two Cheetals performed a daring rescue at 23,000 feet a few weeks later.

The ALH test flight was conducted by Army’s ace test pilot Brig Amardeep Sidhu in Leh while the two Cheetals were taken to this height by ace pilots of the Indian Air Force (IAF) to rescue a stranded foreign mountaineer.

The armed version of the ALH, designated Rudra by the Army Aviation Corps which operates them, is still under various tests before its induction by end-2011. But so far, according to Chairman and Managing Ashok Nayak of HAL, which manufactures the helicopter at its Bangalore facility, all the required tests, undertaken step by step, have been successful.

Rudra has also cleared the airto- air and air-to-ground missile firing tests at the Interim Test Range at Balasore in Orissa and now, combined missile, rocket and gun firing tests, day and night, would be conducted later this year. Pilots also have Helmet mounted cueing systems to ensure precision attacks.

Notably, Rudra is powered by the new Shakti engine developed by HAL and the French Turbomeca, which should be a standard fitting in all versions of the ALH, including the high altitude attack helicopter now called LCH or Light Combat helicopter, Mr Nayak told India Strategic in an interview.

But Shakti is the engine of today, Mr Nayak said adding that Turbomeca had done all the required Transfer of Technology (ToT) for its manufacture by HAL. The utility version is however still on the drawing board but should not take long to develop as its various components would be the same as those successfully tested on ALH variants. Its engine is also under the selection process.

Mr Nayak said that Phase I of the Shakti engine’s TOT was over, and the remaining three phases would be completed in about two years and then the infrastructure to manufacture it fully in India would be established. Significantly, he pointed out, the critical engine core technology had already been transferred.

It may be noted that Rudra, or ALHWSI (Weapon Systems Integrated) is coming in two versions. The Mark III, which Brig Sidhu took to the new heights, has Electronic Warfare and Targeting Systems while the Mark IV would have a French Nexter 20 mm turret gun, Belgian 70 mm rockets, and MBDA air to air and air to ground missiles. All these systems have been tested individually.

Two prototypes of the LCH have done about 100 hours, flown by Group Captain Unni Pillai, a retired IAF test pilot, who is the Chief Test Pilot for HAL now.

Mr Nayak said that a 3rd prototype of the LCH is under development, and that it should be inducted by the IAF in about three to four years.

likely because modification is not as simple as it sounds (we have never done a greenfield turboshaft before) and having the OEM onboard will reduce risk and ensure timely delivery of a safe product. french will tell us how to make the core and sell us the tools and metals if needed to do so, but they would never tell us what happens if the core temp increase by 100C or shape of the core chamber changed by 10cm or fuel inflow increased by 5% - such design secrets are never transferred.

the other approach is go it alone using shakti as a base - thats the chini approach - maybe it will pay in long run. but as we know the WS10x is struggling to have a lifetime of 100 hrs while its 'blood father' the AL31F goes 1000s of hrs and this after many years of cloning and playing around! what kind of safety it will have is also a open question as we can see in the bullet train cloning episode.

Is the LCH designed to fill an equivalent role to MH-6 Little Bird/AH-6 in the US armed forces? Light gunship for aerial scouting and special operations, that can land in the middle of streets and building terraces for the prosecution of urban warfare, as well as tiny patches of real estate in the jungles of the Red Corridor?

Is the LCH designed to fill an equivalent role to MH-6 Little Bird/AH-6 in the US armed forces? Light gunship for aerial scouting and special operations, that can land in the middle of streets and building terraces for the prosecution of urban warfare, as well as tiny patches of real estate in the jungles of the Red Corridor?

Nearly 70 per cent of the IAF's 300 helicopters have already completed their prescribed life. There is a deficit of 26 per cent in the number of helicopters required for operational responsibilities. The shortfall in the case of attack helicopters is worse—the fleet is 46 per cent below its required number. Despite availability of funds, the IAF, as pointed out by a Comptroller and Auditor General report in 2010, was unable to induct even a single helicopter between 2002 and 2010.
:
:
Despite the shortage of helicopters at home, the defence ministry has been deploying helicopters abroad for participation in UN missions. Earlier, India had 17 helicopters in Congo and Sudan. In July, India withdrew its four remaining Mi-35 attack helicopters from these missions. It has now deployed six light-utility Chetak and Cheetah helicopters in Congo. “The military leadership is aware of the effect the lack of helicopters could have on the current operations,” said Major. “That is perhaps why we have brought back most of our helicopters from the UN missions.”

The IAF helicopter fleet consists of Cheetah, Chetak, Advanced Light Helicopter (ALH) and the Russian-developed Mi series, which constitute 60 per cent of the IAF inventory and are used for airlift and attack operations. The attack helicopter fleet, currently made up of Mi-25s and Mi-35s, support Army operations. “Helicopters are one of the most important assets of any Air Force,” said Air Commodore (retd) Jasjit Singh, director of Centre for Air Power Studies. He said India needed helicopters in hand to deal with border surveillance and asymmetrical conflicts.

The anti-Maoist operations, for example, have already seen the deployment of two Mi-17 helicopters in Jharkhand to help airlift troops and in evacuation. The Union home ministry, which deployed a fleet of seven choppers for troop deployment, casualty evacuation and sending reinforcements in Maoist-affected areas last year, has hired six Mi-17 helicopters.

In Chhattisgarh, the IAF has deployed four helicopters to assist Central and state police forces. “There is a request for deploying two more helicopters at Ranchi. Thus we will have a total of six helicopters in these operations,” said Air Chief Marshal N.A.K. Browne.

To bridge the shortfall, the IAF is planning to acquire 230 choppers. The list includes 12 AW101 VVIP helicopters, 80 Mi-17 helicopters and 12 heavy-lift choppers. The IAF will also procure 22 attack helicopters. Boeing is leading the race for the order with its AH-64D Apache Longbow choppers.

At IAF headquarters, however, the worry has not been limited to slow procurement. Shortage of spare parts, too, has been an issue. The IAF still sends engines abroad for overhaul, leaving choppers grounded. However, work to decrease India's dependence on the foreign arms companies has already started. The Hindustan Aeronautics Limited is building three helicopters—Dhruv Advanced Light Helicopter, Light Combat Helicopter and Light Utility Helicopter—while at Bharat Electronics Ltd, scientists and engineers are working to provide sophisticated avionics products for the military choppers.

even the 105mm is tough ask for the AC-130. not economical or practical for aircraft that would have to land for every reload. the use of arty is precisely the ability to land round after round on target at minimum cost. nothing can replace it.

^^^
In the end the question is what is your need, that required you to throw the Grad using an airborne delivery method.

The first batch of Mi-17V-5 helicopters have been delivered to India under a contract signed by state arms exporter Rosoboronexport in December 2008 for 80 new helicopters.

The helicopters are manufactured by Kazan Helicopters, a subsidiary of the Russian Helicopters holding company as part of the US$1.35 billion contract. Deliveries will be completed by 2014.
:
he Mi-17V-5 is the most up-to-date modification of the Mi-17. The helicopters being delivered are manufactured to the customer’s specification and are unique in their configuration. Each helicopter is equipped with a KNEI-8 avionics suite featuring four large multi-functional displays that are easy to read and help reduce pilot fatigue. This avionics suite also helps cut down pre-flight inspection time, displaying all systems data and alerting crew when necessary.

The Klimov VK2500-powered aircraft have strengthened gearboxes to enable high-altitude operations, addressing a key requirement that emerged following performance inadequacies with India's current Mi-17s.

The Indian military is being renewed and expanded and the service has several major helicopter procurement projects in the pipeline. Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) has developed the 12 000 lb (5.5 ton) Dhruv Advanced Light Helicopter (ALH), 54 of which will go to the Air Force and 105 to the Army under a US$3.56 billion order.

About half of all Dhruvs will be Weapon System Integrated (WSI) with Mistral 2 air-to-air missiles, Helina anti-tank missiles and a 20 mm cannon slaved to the gunner’s helmet-mounted site. Dhruvs will replace the Air Force’s approximately 65 HAL Chetak light utility helicopters. Deliveries are expected to be completed by 2013-2014.

Additionally, the Indian armed forces in 2007 launched a search for 197 light reconnaissance and surveillance helicopters (64 for the Air Force and 133 for the Army). The winner of the US$750 million competition should be announced soon. The Eurocopter AS 550 Fennec and Kamov Ka-226 are being considered after passing trials.

In the attack role the Indian Air Force has 20 Mi-25/35s in service and hopes to replace them with 22 new attack Helicopters. In May 2008 the Indian Ministry of Defence issued a request for proposals for twin-engined attack helicopters but the tender was cancelled in March 2009, only to be re-opened two months later. The AH-64D Apache and Mi-28 Night Hunter were the leading contenders until the Mi-28N was dropped from the competition, leaving the AH-64 as the leading contender.

HAL is also developing the ambitious Light Combat Helicopter (LCH), which first flew in March 2010 after years of delays. It has stealth features, a glass cockpit and armour protection. The LCH carries the same armament as the WSI Dhruv. The IAF has ordered 65 LCHs for about US$1.4 billion, while the Army is buying 114. HAL expects certification next year and production to begin in 2013.

The Air Force’s heavy lift helicopter fleet consists of four Mi-26 ‘Halos’, which may be replaced by 12-15 new heavy lift helicopters. Boeing’s CH-47F Chinook and Mil’s Mi-26T2 are competing for a contract.

The United States has expressed strong interest in participating in India's tender for attack helicopter and heavy-lift helicopters despite the snub it received earlier this year in the Medium Multi-Role Combat Aircraft (MMRCA) competition, according to a top official.

In remarks to the Defense Trade Advisory Group, Assistant Secretary for Bureau of Political-Military Affairs Andrew Shapiro said, “I have also advocated for our tenders in the Attack Helicopter and Heavy Lift Helicopter competitions. We are hopeful that both will be selected.”

Earlier, the Indian Air Force was reported to have floated tenders for 22 combat and 15 heavy lift helicopters.

Among the U.S. contenders in the race would be Boeing's Apache, for combat, and the Chinook, for heavy-lift.

The reportedly $550 million-tender aims to replace India's ageing helicopter fleet and trials were said to be on in the hot, humid deserts of Rajasthan and the icy Himalayan heights of Ladakh and Leh.

Mr. Shapiro reflected upon his attendance on February last at the Aero India show, an event at which he said he advocated for U.S. defence sales.

“While India unfortunately did not down-select a U.S. aircraft for its MMRCA competition, I believe our relationship with India is much more than one sale,” he said.

Suggesting that Indian acquisition of the U.S. defence equipment was woven into the fabric of a stronger U.S.-India strategic partnership, Mr. Shaprio said that recent evidence of the U.S. efforts in this regard was India's acquisition of 10 C-17 aircraft and a request for six more C-130J aircraft.

IMHO the LCH ordered by IAF will primarily be used for CSAR and SEAD/ DEAD activities.

CSAR? Do you mean as an escort for ALH/Chetak doing the actual CSAR duties? A WSI Dhruv would be better for that. Ans SEAD/DEAD would require anti-radiation missiles. Better done by fixed-wing jets with ECM pods which are more survivable against SAMs.
My take is, the LCH will be used for anti-armor and CAS much like the Apache. But it will carry less payload and we'll have a lot more of them than the gold-plated apaches. The Apaches are likely a one-to-one replacement for the Hinds.

The first shots in Gulf war were carried out by Apaches against radar sites.