The Defence Research and Development Organization (DRDO) successfully flight tested the indigenously developed Pinaka multi-barrel rocket system (MRLS). The test-flight was conducted from the Integrated Test Range (ITR) in Chandipur, off the coast of Odisha.
A senior DRDO official said the enhanced Pinaka has been developed to counter the People’s Liberation Army threat in East Ladakh. He said the Chinese has been deploying a large number of rocket regiments in support of artillery guns. “The rocket regiments are central to Chinese war fighting for saturation bombardment of the targets. The enhanced Pinaka and guided Pinaka have both been cleared for deployment on the borders,” the official added.
The DRDO in a statement said the new rocket system has a longer range with reduced length compared to the earlier variant (Mk-1). The design and development has been carried out by Pune-based laboratories of DRDO, Armament Research and Development Establishment (ARDE) and High Energy Materials Research Laboratory (HEMRL). The organization said a total of six rockets were launched in quick succession, with the tests meeting complete mission objectives. The flight articles were tracked by range instruments, such as telemetry, radar and Electro Optical Tracking Systems (EOTS) which confirmed the flight performance. Officials said the enhanced version of the Pinaka rocket would replace the existing Mk-1 rockets. The Mk-1 has a range of 36 km, while its enhanced variant can hit a target 45 to 60 km away. It has been developed as per the requirements of the Indian Army.
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Furthermore, the DRDO has identified 108 systems and subsystems for designing and development by the Indian industry. This is in line with the government’s Atmanirbhar Bharat initiative. Reports highlight that DRDO will provide support to industries for design, development and testing of these systems on requirement basis. The Indian industry has matured to a stage where they can develop such systems on their own. Indian industry has progressed from a ‘build to print’ partner to ‘build to specification’ partner.
