On Thursday, today, India successfully completed the flight-test conducted in three phases at different field firing ranges of its advanced guided weapon system Pinaka.
The Defence Ministry said, “Defence Research and Development Organisation or DRDO has successfully completed the flight-tests of Guided Pinaka Weapon System as part of Provisional Staff Qualitative Requirements (PSQR) validation trials.”
“Twelve rockets from each production agency from two in-service Pinaka launchers upgraded by the launcher production agencies have been tested,” the statement said.
The current version of the Pinaka system is a guided one, the rockets are used for precision strikes.
New Delhi’s defence manufacturing initiatives under ‘Make in India’ is gaining momentum.
France has showed interest in the Pinaka Multi-Barrel Rocket Launcher or MBRL system to bolster its defences.
Pinaka – Salient Features
The Pinaka system, which is India’s first major defence export as conflict-hit Armenia had placed the first order has been compared at par with America’s HIMARS system,
Pinaka, was first deployed during the 1999 Kargil War. It had played a major role in destroying Pakistani positions at strategic heights during the war.
The Pinaka rocket system is developed by Armament Research & Development Establishment (ARDE) or ARDE, under the DRDO. The system comprises of a free-flight artillery rocket having a maximum range of 38 km with different types of warheads and fuzes.
A battery can fire 72 rockets. Each launcher can now be operated independently and rockets can be fired individually or simultaneously in different directions. The launcher may be operated in manual, remote, stand alone, and autonomous modes.
The DRDO is now working on a guided Pinaka system which is capable of ranges greater than 120 km, 150 km, and 200 km to counter China’s long-range guided rocket systems.
