HAL Prachand LCH Poised for Major Firepower Upgrade with New Indigenous 80mm Multi-warhead Rocket System, Enhancing Engagement Range to 12km

India's domestically developed Light Combat Helicopter (LCH), the HAL Prachand, is set to receive a substantial upgrade to its offensive capabilities.

A new, indigenous 80mm unguided rocket system has been successfully developed through a cooperative project involving TridenTech Engineering, the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Madras, Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL), Reliance Aerospace Limited (RAL), and BILVA Technologies.

This development marks a significant step in enhancing the firepower of the advanced helicopter platform.

This newly created 80mm weapon system is intended to replace the currently equipped 70mm FZ275 Laser Guided Rockets (LGR), which are sourced from the international aerospace and defence technology firm, Thales.

The transition to the indigenous 80mm rockets underscores India's push towards self-sufficiency in critical defence technologies.

The versatility of the Prachand LCH in combat scenarios will be greatly increased by the new 80mm rocket system, which can be fitted with several different types of warheads.

These options include High-Explosive Anti-Tank Fragmentation (HEAT-Frag) rounds effective against armoured vehicles, anti-runway munitions designed to disable enemy airfields, thermobaric warheads creating powerful blast effects ideal for clearing structures or fortified positions, and illumination rounds to light up the battlefield during night operations.

This adaptability allows the helicopter crew to effectively engage a wide spectrum of targets.

A key advantage of the indigenous 80mm rocket is its extended operational range. Compared to the approximate 7-kilometre range of the imported 70mm FZ275 LGR, the new Indian system is engineered to reach targets between 10 and 12 kilometres away.

This increased stand-off distance significantly enhances the Prachand's ability to attack targets while remaining further from enemy defences, thereby improving the safety and survivability of the aircraft and its crew in hostile environments.

The decision to replace the sophisticated, imported 70mm laser-guided rockets with the new 80mm system reflects India's strategic emphasis on bolstering its domestic defence manufacturing capabilities under the 'Make in India' initiative.

While the initial deployment will be the unguided version, reports suggest that work is underway to develop a laser-guided variant of the 80mm rocket in the future.

This would eventually provide the Prachand LCH with precision strike capabilities using a fully indigenous solution, further reducing reliance on foreign suppliers for advanced weapon systems.

 

IAF Confronts Ageing Israeli Phalcon AWACS Tech Mounted on IL-76, Initiating Urgent Modernization Talks with DRDO Researchers

India briefs UNSC’s non-permanent members on Pahalgam terror attack

[Ankit]

This is a downgrade, as 80mm unguided rockets will not be effective against maneuvering tanks.

 

[The_rED_dEVIL]

Better start development of its guided variant.

 

[abhinav srivastava]

Good work. We will have SANT and Helina as guided missiles and these 80mm rockets. Develop and integrate them fast.

 

[Kira]

LCH seriously needs a anti tank missile,which is its primary weapon.

 

[Radha Ramanan]

We are actually using Soviet 80 mm rockets for a long time on the Mi-35 gunships and know the destructive power. The 80 mm Russian rocket is more powerful than the 70mm one in all ways. If the LCH is adapted to carry the old Soviet 80 mm rocket pod which is heavy, I believe the LCH has enough power to haul it; it would be wonderfully powerful. The pod has about 20 rockets, and that's a lot of firepower compared to the small 70 mm pod with fewer rockets that the LCH flies with. Many countries have made laser-guided rockets that are accurate and cost-effective; it's time we made them or collaborated.

 

[sas]

It's a start but guided rockets are the need of the hour especially now with heightened tensions.

 

[Sandeep]

It’s essential that we 100% indigenously design, develop and manufacture our own rockets from Indian raw materials.

The issue is that we can’t use 80mm rockets on the 70mm rocket pod that’s used on the Prachand and Rudra helicopters at all. We would have to replace the rocket pod entirely and develop one which can use 80mm rockets. This takes time and can’t be done over night and you need to integrate the technology from the helicopter's hardware and software with the new 80mm pod.

If the military wants to keep using the same 70mm pods then the military should 100% indigenously design, develop and manufacture a variety of rockets and not manufacture the French rockets under a license at all. We will need to develop an unguided and guided rocket with different type of warheads that can hit troops, military weapons or equipment, technology, infrastructure, bases armoured vehicles etc so we can hit any type of target that we want.

If we want to use 80mm rockets then we should replace the pods on the helicopter and develop a variety of 80mm rockets similar to the 70mm rockets. As we still have a lot of Russian attack helicopters in our military we should definitely develop the 80mm rockets 100% indigenously. This will cut down on foreign expensive imports and make us self reliant.

 

[Narayan Swami]

If HAL ever gets Prachand certified to fly again - a very big if - then this might be useful. Or is it just another PR stunt?

 

[Narayan Swami]

LCH seriously needs a anti tank missile,which is its primary weapon.

@Kira the most important thing LCH needs now is to avoid becoming a "flying coffin" as the MiG-21 was. The zero-accountability screwdriver managers cannot even capitalize on the monopoly they were given for 80 years.

 

[Kira]

@Kira the most important thing LCH needs now is to avoid becoming a "flying coffin" as the MiG-21 was. The zero-accountability screwdriver managers cannot even capitalize on the monopoly they were given for 80 years.

True, that is a factor and serious concern after what has happened with ALH (LCH is based on Dhruv), but since it has not encountered any issues till date with limited production models, I believe there is no point in hesitation there.

So, they should get it ready for mass production and adoption with its full complement of weapons and sensors available.