Wish they also put a EO sight on the rotor hub instead of under the nose. We'd have our own Kiowa Warrior lite.
HAL LUH / Ka-226: News and Discussions
- Thread starter Ashwin
- Start date
-
- Tags
- hal kamov light helicopter luh
Can't wait to see this bird in the final RSH (recon and surv helo) configuration with an undernose EO pod and stub wings carrying ATGMs. With Airbus getting ready to build the Fennec in India though, LUH has competition on the horizon.
Can't believe the IA isn't starting LRIP for lack of a measly autopilot. Why delay any longer when Chetak's and Cheetah's are already on their last legs? Really frustrating state of affairs.
Can't believe the IA isn't starting LRIP for lack of a measly autopilot. Why delay any longer when Chetak's and Cheetah's are already on their last legs? Really frustrating state of affairs.
Did you just use American term LRIP for indian procurement?
The issue is procurement system not some conspiracy by services. They are just delivering LSP order. Bigger order will be initiated after it.
More competition is always better and a civilian helicopter is not a threat for LUH.
As recently as last year, there was news about the Army wanting to go in for an emergency purchase or lease of the KA226. With full backing from HAL, no less! It doesn't give you much confidence that orders won't be split between the two. If that happens, it would be a monumental mistake.
The Indian armed forces are spoilt for choice and that slows down decision-making. Nothing less than a signed contract would assure me the LUH is getting is due.
That was until 2-3 years ago. The decision to split the order was a very rational one made more than a decade ago. It didn't happen due to an unattainable clause requiring something like 65% localization, which even the LUH wouldn't have today. Thus, it broke down during negotiations. Procedurally, it was a done deal. We could have inducted 50+ Ka-226 helicopters by now. Lease is not for Ka-226, but fill the gap till LUH production gets going. It can still happen.
LUH was delayed for over 8 years due to incompetence at HAL. Services had to adhere to the DAP. It required the placement of LSP before proceeding to series production. The IAF skipped that step during the HJT-36 disaster and was accused of malpractice by the CAG. It's easy to blame services from the sidelines. They are the ones who end up using outdated platforms and facing consequences on a daily basis.
This program has seen several stops and starts for dubious reasons long before the LUH was even flying. I'm not making any accusations but when you consider that the Ka-226 was rejected the first time around, re-entered the competition again with a French engine and then went on to win, you're going to suspect something amiss.
The reason given was the Ka-226 had a higher flight ceiling because of a twin-engine configuration. If the IA was keen on finalizing a winner, it should have gone with the Fennec, the first time. It meet the specified tender requirements for payload and hover performance. It's just a case of great being the enemy of good enough.
Besides, the Russian armed forces only fly a handful of these machines which means it would be left to India to sort out performance and maintenance issues on its own dime. The Fennec otoh was a proven design with civilian and military customers worldwide. Our Western neighbours fly them too.
Imo, the modular cabin on the Ka-226 would be a hassle in terms of logistics and turnaround time than a conventional airframe.
Anyways, it's water under the bridge now. One can only hope that we opt for more Dhruv's to fill in for the Chetak/Chetah's until the LUH is ready. An imported solution, leased or not, would be insanity imo.
How did you come to the conclusions about the performance of the Ka-226 with the French engine? It seems like a baseless accusation without any evidence or reasoning. I would trust the services for evaluating performance. This default suspicion does not benefit anyone.
Damn u remember all the old stories..
There was time i was looking forward to the Fennac.. Then came the Dhurv with mighty wt lifting capabilities..
We actually were rooting for the failure of any light helicopter deals there after.
Even some 5-6 years back , we still wanted the Kamov deal to not take off..
Luckily it didn't.
LUH proved itself landing in highest altitude..
We are just waiting for the mass production. .
In fact we actually missed making Mi17(5) helicopters.. We ordered so many without asking for local production.
We were fortunate the Ka-226 deal didn't take off.
If the LUH hadn't worked out for any reason, I'd have taken a stripped down version of the ALH..any day.
The Ka-226 would have been another lemon sold to us by the Russians after the Vikramaditya.
I understand that there are quid-pro quo deals (hidden payments for N-stuff) between us and the Russians but buying a $2.5 billion carrier that rarely leaves harbour is a waste of taxpayer money. IIRC the only time she showed the flag in a foreign country since arriving in India more than 10 years ago, was next-door in Sri Lanka.
Anyways, that's entirely another topic!
If the LUH hadn't worked out for any reason, I'd have taken a stripped down version of the ALH..any day.
The Ka-226 would have been another lemon sold to us by the Russians after the Vikramaditya.
I understand that there are quid-pro quo deals (hidden payments for N-stuff) between us and the Russians but buying a $2.5 billion carrier that rarely leaves harbour is a waste of taxpayer money. IIRC the only time she showed the flag in a foreign country since arriving in India more than 10 years ago, was next-door in Sri Lanka.
Anyways, that's entirely another topic!
LUH prototype-1 seen during Tarang Shakti-2024 exercise:
credit: Deb Rana on insta.
credit: Deb Rana on insta.
LUH assembly line at HAL's new Tumakuru plant:
