Spinning success

Development of Prachanda helicopters by HAL is encouraging

The Indian Air Force (IAF) raised its first squadron of the light combat helicopter (LCH) on Monday, with Defence Minister Rajnath Singh christening the new chopper “Prachanda”. With that, India’s aerospace monopoly, Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd (HAL), is on its way to mass manufacturing its second light helicopter for the army and the IAF. Last March, the government sanctioned the manufacture of 15 Prachanda LCHs for Rs 3,887 crore, or about Rs 260 crore each, while approving the expenditure of Rs 377 crore more on a production line. This, however, is only the tip of the iceberg: HAL has been told