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IAF Chief Reviews LCH Programme, Takes a Sortie
Air Chief Marshal RKS Bhadauria, Chief of the Air Staff undertook his maiden flight in HAL designed and developed Light Advanced Helicopter (LCH) at Bangalore. The aircraft took to the skies at 11.45 hours and remained airborne for an hour. The CAS was accompanied by HAL’s Deputy Chief Test Pilot, Wg Cdr (Retd) S P John.
While thanking all stake holders of LCH project, the Air Chief said “It was a very good sortie. I was able to look at the important flying characteristics and status of sensors already installed. The LCH is a potent platform due to excellent D&D efforts and well supported flight test team. The IAF is keenly looking forward to the induction of this aircraft and I am sure HAL will give required focus on productionisation at a fast pace”.
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R Madhavan, CMD, HAL, thanked the Air Chief and said that HAL is geared up for productionisation of LCH to meet all the requirements of the Air Force.
Garden Reach Shipbuilders and Engineers Ltd., (GRSE), Kolkata, in an impressive ceremony, laid the keel of the 2nd Survey Vessel (Large) (Yard 3026) at Kattupalli, Chennai. The Virtual Keel Laying ceremony was performed in the presence of Vice Admiral Vinay Badhwar AVSM, NM, Chief Hydrographer to the Govt. of India. The ceremony was also attended by Rear Admiral VK Saxena, IN (Retd), Chairman & Managing Director, GRSE, other Directors and other senior officials from Indian Navy and the Shipyard.
The ship is part of the Survey Vessels (Large) project won by GRSE in a competitive bidding process in Oct 18 for an order value of Rs. 2435.15 crore. The 1st ship is to be constructed within 36 months from contract signing date with a project completion time of 54 months. Part construction of this ship is being carried out at L&T Shipyard, Kattupalli. After launching, the ship will be shifted to GRSE, Kolkata for outfitting, trials, and delivery.
The vessel is 110m long with a deep displacement of 3300 Tons and can accommodate 231 personnel. The vessel is designed for a cruising speed of 16 knots with an in-house GRSE’s Hull Form Design which imparts a superior level of operational efficiency. The Hull form of these new generations Survey Vessel also meets the stringent seakeeping and manoeuvring requirements including Helicopter Operations at high sea states. The design of the ship by GRSE’s inhouse Design Unit accorded “Centre of Excellence” Unit status by Council of Scientific & Industrial Research (CSIR), Ministry of Science & Technology is a significant step in “Make in India” initiative of the Govt. of India. With their Stateof-the-Art “Survey Payload” comprising of Autonomous Underwater Vehicles (AUVs), Remote Operated Vehicles (ROVs), Multi Beam Echo Sounders etc, these Survey Ships would prove to be a game changer in the Indian Navy’s Capabilities for Coastal and Deepwater Hydrographic Surveys aiding Maritime Operations. In their auxiliary role, they will be capable of performing limited search and rescue, limited ocean research and operate as hospital ship/ casualty holding ships.
GRSE continues to be the epitome of indigenous design and construction of warships. Recently, following the call for “Atmanirbharta”, a state-of-the-art Modern Hull Block Complex and Indigenous Underwater CNC Plasma Cutting Facility were virtually inaugurated by the Hon’ble Raksha Mantri Shri. Rajnath Singh at the RBD Unit of GRSE, to augment the existing infrastructure at the Main Unit of the Shipyard. GRSE’s strategies revolve around shifting to smart manufacturing or Industry 4.0 with innovations in Automation, Robotics and the Industrial Internet of Things.
GRSE presently has a strong order book of over Rs 26,000 crores and is currently executing three major shipbuilding projects, namely the P17A Project for 3 Advanced Stealth Frigates, 4 Survey Vessels (Large) and 8 Anti-Submarine Warfare Shallow Watercraft. The 1st P17A Ship is expected to be launched in Dec this year, well ahead of schedule. GRSE delivered the Fast Patrol Vessel (FPV) ICGS Kanaklata Barua, the 105th Warship delivered by the Shipyard, to the Indian Coast Guard in June 2020, despite challenges in operations in a manpower-intensive industry during pandemic times thus reaffirming our motto “Infinite Passion meets Unwavering Commitment”. The Shipyard also plans to deliver two more warships in the coming months.
