We may not know for sure until China and India get into another shooting war.
Back on May 20, 2025, I wrote an article for The National Interest titled “Was Operation Sindoor a Surprise Victory for India?” wherein I postulated that, contrary to a lot of pundits’ assertions, the latest hot war between India and Pakistan was a strategic victory for the former in spite of the tactical victory won by the latter. That contrarian perspective notwithstanding, I also readily acknowledged that the Indian Air Force (IAF) suffered major tactical-level embarrassments at the hands of its Pakistani Air Force (PAF) adversaries. The PAF used its Chinese-made Chengdu J-10 ”Vigorous Dragon” fighters and PL-15 missiles to inflict eye-opening losses against India’s much-ballyhooed French-made Dassault Rafale and Russian-made MiG-29 “Fulcrum” and Sukhoi Su-30 “Flanker-C” fighter jets.
Conspicuous by its absence from those reports was India’s homegrown Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) Tejas Light Combat Aircraft (LCA). Speaking of HAL, they’ve also produced an indigenous attack helicopter, the Prachand (“Intense”) Light Combat Helicopter (LCH).
And now, sure enough, there’s a debate raging about whether the Prachand is superior or inferior to its Chinese counterpart, the Chengdu Z-10.
Prachand LCH Initial History and Specifications
The impetus for the LCH came from the 1999 Kargil War, which, although an Indian victory, demonstrated that the Indian Armed Forces lacked a suitable armed rotary-wing aerial asset capable of operating unrestricted in the high-altitude theatre. Accordingly, development on the LCH began in 2006, but, much like HAL’s LCA program, ran afoul of long delays (though, in fairness, not as long as the whopping thirty-two years that it took the Tejas to finally get up and running).
Making its maiden flight on March 29, 2010, the LCH finally entered production in 2017 and was inducted into official operational status with the IAF on October 3, 2022, at which point it was bestowed with its “Prachand” moniker.” Reportedly, nineteen airframes have been built thus far, with 156 more on order by the Indian Ministry of Defence in a contract worth $7.3 billion.
Specifications and vital stats, courtesy of HAL’s official info page, include:
- Max Takeoff Weight: 5,800 kgs (12,786 lbs.)
- Max Airspeed: 268 km/h (166.5 mph)
- Range: 550 km (341.7 miles)
- Service Ceiling: 6.5 km (21,325 feet)
- Powerplant: Two SHAKTI engines generating 1,032 kW (1,383 hp)
In an April 26, 2025, op-ed for The EurAsian Times titled “India’s Fierce High-Altitude Chopper That Triumphs China’s Z-10 & U.S. Apache! Meet LCH Prachand,” author MJ Augustine Vinod provides more specific information on the whirlybird’s weapons package:
But how does all that stack up against the Chinese Z-10?
The Case for the Z-10
The initial inspiration for this article came from a May 19, 2025, headline in the South China Morning Post (SCMP) that caught my eye when it appeared on my newsfeed: “India’s Prachand combat helicopter ‘unable to compete’ with China’s Z-10.” In the opening paragraph, the author cites an unspecified “Chinese military magazine” which claims that the Prachand would be a “walkover” for the Z-10.
Now, on the surface, one must take any claims from a Chinese military publication with a grain of salt, as that’s not exactly an unbiased source. After all, it’s a media source from a totalitarian government that would never publicly admit to being wrong or second-best. That said, the Chinese certainly do have current bragging rights in the area of jet fighter technology due to their aforementioned performance in Operation Sindoor, so it’s understandable that the Chinese propaganda mouthpieces would want to seize upon that momentum by claiming superiority for China’s rotary-wing military products as well.
Turning to a more impartial source, Army Recognition doesn’t draw a direct comparison between the Indian and Chinese choppers, but does credit the Z-10 with accurate weapons delivery (as demonstrated in a live-fire exercise in south Liaoning province in November 2012) as well as “excellent flight performances and extreme low-altitude maneuverability.”
The Case for the Prachand
My two sources who make the case for the Prachand aren’t exactly completely unbiased here, but they’re certainly detailed and articulate, which certainly counts for something. The previously cited EurAsian Times op-ed makes the following argument:
“When evaluating attack helicopters for high-altitude warfare, the Prachand LCH stands out with its unmatched operational ceiling of 21,300 feet. It was specifically engineered for Himalayan conditions with crash-resistant construction and exceptional agility … China’s Z-10, despite modern avionics and anti-tank missiles, remains underpowered for effective Himalayan operations, with a practical limit near 13,000 feet. This clear differentiation highlights why the Prachand LCH is India’s strategic choice for dominating high-altitude battle spaces that foreign platforms cannot reliably access.”
Meanwhile, in a May 21, 2025 piece, Anshul Pal of Bharat Articles also notes the altitude performance limitations of the Z-10 and adds:
- “Prachand has been tested and proven effective in the high-altitude zones of Siachen and Ladakh
- It boasts better agility, maneuverability, and survivability features
- The helicopter is less expensive to procure and maintain
- India offers modular upgrades to Prachand, allowing future tech enhancements without a full redesign
The Prachand not only matches but often surpasses the Z-10 in terms of performance and reliability, offering superior capability at a more affordable price.”
So then, is there a clear winner? The only way to tell for certain will be if and when China and India get into another shooting war (as they did in 1962) and the two countries’ choppers square off against each other head-to-head.
About the Author: Christian D. Orr
Christian D. Orr was previously a Senior Defense Editor for National Security Journal (NSJ) and 19FortyFive. He is a former Air Force Security Forces officer, Federal law enforcement officer, and private military contractor (with assignments worked in Iraq, the United Arab Emirates, Kosovo, Japan, Germany, and the Pentagon). Chris holds a B.A. in International Relations from the University of Southern California (USC) and an M.A. in Intelligence Studies (concentration in Terrorism Studies) from American Military University (AMU). He has also been published in The Daily Torch, The Journal of Intelligence and Cyber Security, and Simple Flying. Last but not least, he is a Companion of the Order of the Naval Order of the United States (NOUS). If you’d like to pick his brain further, you can ofttimes find him at the Old Virginia Tobacco Company (OVTC) lounge in Manassas, Virginia, partaking of fine stogies and good quality human camaraderie.
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