Attack Helicopters of IAF - LCH Prachand, AH-64E Apache : Updates & Discussions

The same argument since ever:
don't build something that is not on par with the USA.
And we can't build something that is advanced without having built the basic structures first.

We need to walk before we run. Build the less advanced versions and develop skills. Then aim to build the next gen.

Perfect is the enemy of good.
 
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LCH is being bought to support infantry and for use in the mountains. Apache is needed against armour in the army and against SAMs, other high value targets and also support the army's offensive.

Eventually, as the economy grows and we get more money, an Indian Apache is necessary to fill in the numbers component because it can carry more payload.
Dont you think eventually we will have 10-12 ton class drones to carry similar weapon package with better radar and stealth feature ?
 

While it's true that we will need next gen helicopters, but first someone has to build it and then make it a proven system, which by itself will take 10-15 years. And then we will need it only for some highly specific combat missions or terrain-specific missions where the added performance is necessary, so the workhorse will continue to be helicopters like the IMRH. Most missions that current gen helicopters do will be basic stuff like hauling cargo or transporting personnel, so it's unlikely for such helicopters to disappear anytime soon anyway.

As for attack helicopters: Yes, we will most definitely need next gen designs for this role, but we need to crawl, walk and then run. Our attack helicopter requirement should be quite massive over the long run, especially next gen helicopters that can climb up to 9000m, which makes it especially important for mountains. So we can start off with a current gen heavy attack helicopter in rather sufficient numbers and follow that up with a more advanced design in the meantime.

Also, let's not forget the cost component. High speed next gen helicopters will obviously be twice as expensive if not more. So, over the next 20 years, IA/IAF will have to mix and match with some IMRH and some new gen helicopter imports. The Americans are planning to replace their current fleet with new gen helicopters only in the 2030s.
Dont you think eventually we will have 10-12 ton class drones to carry similar weapon package with better radar and stealth feature ?

UCAV attack helicopters? Yes, it's possible, but unlikely to happen anytime soon.
 
Make Time For This Sweet Shoot Of India’s RUDRA Armed Helo

By Shiv Aroor
Mar 29 2020, 8:02 pm

As we hunker down for this viral lockdown, we at Livefist hope you’re doing okay and staying well. We’ve had a bit of downtime as Editor Shiv Aroor gets busy reporting on the Covid19 crisis in India, but we’re getting set this week to be back to our regular reports. Thought we’d quickly drop something off that caught our eye over the weekend.

Indian aviation filmmaker Abhishek Singh (we’ve featured him here before) just put out a quick clip of one of his legendary shoots, this time with the Indian Air Force’s HAL Rudras. We love shoots that get you up close with operators themselves.

The Rudras are being purchased in healthy numbers by the IAF (16) and Army (78), but there are glaring questions that Livefist has been at the forefront of asking — for instance, is someone trying to derail the arming of these helicopters? The current MoD hasn’t made visible progress yet in correcting the inexplicable failure of the system so far to give these helicopters (and HAL’s purpose-built Light Combat Helicopter) its primary weaponry. There’s a lingering perversity in armed helicopters flying without anti-armour missiles and without anti-air missiles despite having contracted for the launchers for years. That last bit is a story all on its own, and we did that here.

While the Army has managed to procure a quantity of Israeli Spike LR anti-tank guided missile systems for infantry units deployed at the Line of Control (LoC), it hasn’t managed to conclude a decision on giving the Rudra and LCH either the helo-launched Spike ER or the MBDA PARS L3.

While we’re informed that the weaponry impasse is being ‘looked at’, it isn’t like to be sorted this year. Add the Coronavirus crisis to the mix, and, quite reasonably, nothing’s on the table until this cloud clears. Having said that, there’s likely to be some good news on the Light Combat Helicopter front later this year in the post-Covid19 world, with first orders likely to drop. Obviously, we’ll have to wait and see how the rest of the year pans out.

Livefist’s Shiv Aroor dedicated the latest episode of his weekly TV show on weapons tech BattleCry on India’s armed helicopter landscape. You can watch that full episode here :


https://www.livefistdefence.com/202...s-sweet-shoot-of-indias-rudra-armed-helo.html
 
sir we are on our way to do like we have done in the past 1 c17,1 c130 .hope everythibg is fine

So far IAF C 17 has not yet crashed
( Thank God and touch wood )

One C 130 crashed in a Hill many years back
While practicing low level flights for
Commando insertions
 
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traditional problems

Can you elaborate? cause as far as this incident is concerned, there was an engine failure. The pilot had a choice to go back to base on a single engine or land immediately. He chose the latter and as a result we still have an intact airframe. I would call him sufficiently or maybe more than sufficiently trained.
 
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