RAS question
What is the total contract value for 156 LCH Prachand units ordered by India?
Correct answer: (D) ₹62,700 crore.
India's Ministry of Defence signed two contracts with HAL for 156 LCH Prachand helicopters worth Rs 62,700 crore, excluding taxes.
Explanation
The value is Rs 62,700 crore because the Ministry of Defence's PIB release says it signed two contracts with Hindustan Aeronautics Limited on 28 March 2025 for 156 Light Combat Helicopters, Prachand, along with training and other associated equipment, at that value excluding taxes. The order is not a single-service purchase: one contract covers 66 LCHs for the Indian Air Force, while the second covers 90 LCHs for the Indian Army. That split adds up to the 156 units in the question, so the total contract value attached to the whole order is Rs 62,700 crore, not any lower or rounded alternative.
Why the other options are wrong
- (A) Rs 80,000 crore is higher than the PIB-stated value for the two HAL contracts covering 156 LCH Prachand helicopters.
- (B) Rs 35,000 crore understates the order because the official PIB release gives Rs 62,700 crore as the value for the 156-helicopter contracts.
- (C) Rs 45,000 crore does not match the cited Ministry of Defence figure for the HAL LCH Prachand contracts.
Concept
This tests defence technology procurement under Science and Technology, especially the ability to link an indigenous platform with its official order value. RAS often asks such current defence items because they combine technology, public-sector manufacturing and government procurement facts.