HAL Light Combat Helicopters: The Indian government made a big move for its military. They decided to buy 156 Prachand Light Combat Helicopters. This deal with Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) costs INR 62,700 crore, which is about $7.3 billion. This is the biggest helicopter buy India has ever made. The Indian Army will get 90 of these helicopters, and the Indian Air Force will get 66.
These Prachand helicopters can fly very high, up to 21,000 feet. This is important because it helps fix problems they saw during the 1999 Kargil War. According to Defense Mirror, 2 strong Shakti engines, made with help from France’s Safran Group, power the helicopters.
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They can fight enemy soldiers, tanks, bunkers, and even small flying robots called UAVs. The helicopters have strong armor, bulletproof windows, special fuel tanks that don’t leak, and blades that can take damage. This makes them very safe in a fight.
HAL will start giving the helicopters to the military in three years. It will take five years to give them all. India wants to make more of the helicopter parts in India. Right now, about 45% of the parts are made in India. They want to make that number over 65%. More than 250 Indian companies, mostly small businesses, are helping to make these helicopters. This project will create over 8,500 jobs.
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Also, India signed a deal with Metrea Management. They will rent a KC-135 Flight Refueling Aircraft (FRA). This plane will teach Indian Air Force and Navy pilots how to fill up planes in the air. This is the first time the Indian Air Force will rent a plane like this. The plane should arrive in six months
