India’s combat helicopter secures long-term Aitech avionics

The production agreement supports mission computing systems for India’s Light Combat Helicopter fleet over the next five to six years.

Aitech has secured a $63 million production contract with Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) to supply avionics computing systems for India’s Light Combat Helicopter (LCH) programme.

The follow-on agreement covers avionics systems for 156 helicopters and supports continued production and sustainment of the Display Mission Computer (DMC) and related flight systems over the next five to six years.

The contract continues a relationship that began in 2011 when HAL started work on a next-generation avionics architecture designed to support real-time avionics applications, advanced graphics, deterministic communications and long operational lifetimes.

Aitech was selected early in the programme to develop and customise a CompactPCI-based single-board computer and graphics solution tailored for rotary-wing display and mission processing requirements. Rather than supplying a standard commercial product, the company worked alongside HAL engineers to adapt and qualify a COTS-derived architecture integrating dedicated PMC modules and avionics-specific interfaces.

As HAL developed mission and flight software for the programme, Aitech provided technical support, on-site collaboration and manufacturing support for flight testing and certification activities.

HAL’s LCH avionics suite, including the Display Mission Computer and Automatic Flight Control Computer, uses dual-redundant SBC architectures, real-time processing and robust data handling to support mission visualisation, flight control and situational awareness in demanding operational environments.

“HAL selected Aitech because we provided innovative solutions from the beginning of the project and remained involved every step of the way to present day,” says Gil Botton, vice president and head of business development, Aitech SEA and EMEA. “We played a key role in HAL’s first success by bringing technical knowledge, computing expertise and manufacturing discipline to support the avionics systems for decades, not just years.”