What is the difference between HAL Rudra vs HAL Light Combat Helicopter? Which is better?

What is the difference between HAL Rudra vs HAL Light Combat Helicopter? Which is better?


Here are some of the features which HAL LCH possess and not possessed by Rudra:

A. Tandem Seating with flat facets on fuselage panels

B. Usage of Radar Absorbing Material to reduce the Radar Cross Section of LCH

C. Crashworthy Structure and Landing Gear to survive crashes with increased survivability

D. Pressurized Cockpit Cabin with NBC (Nuclear , Biological and Chemical) Filters

E. Armour Panels which can resist upto Russian 12.7mm rounds including other small arms fire and bursts

F. InfraRed Engine Suppressors and a Digital Video Recording System (DVRS)

G. Flat cockpit transparencies

H. Increased use of composites than Rudra airframe which makes the airframe of LCH both lighter and sturdy at the same times.

HAL LCH and Rudra has many features in common like Anti Resonance Isolation System ( ARIS ) System, VHF/UHF Communications Sets, Fire Detection Systems, Flight Data Recorders and more including the Electronic Warfare Suite which has been derived from Rudra (though with some changes) and the weapon package including HELINA Missile, MISTRAL Air-to-Air Missile, M621 Cannon and 70mm FZ-231 Rockets.

When it comes to who is better, then HAL LCH has to be given an edge since it is a dedicated attack helicopter while Rudra is a Weapon Systems Integrated Variant or better say an armed variant of ALH Dhruv hence is more suited for Armed Scouting Roles in a secured environment while LCH is more suited for high-risk operations in hostile airspace which includes Close-Air Support Missions, High-Altitude Warfare and Anti-Armor Missions. Rudra can be deployed in a low threat environment and can be used in air assault roles along with CASEVAC and MEDEVAC roles. HAL LCH has more maneuverability though in terms of role versatility Rudra can trump out LCH in many roles sine LCH is developed for a dedicated role. Rudra can also be used in Special Forces Missions where it retains its attack capabilities though sacrificing its armor for passenger cabin.

This article is written by Harsh B. Mishra on Quora.
 
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