The Defence Research and Development Organisation’s (DRDO), on 11-16 December, announced that it has successfully tested the extended range Pinaka (Pinaka-ER) Multi Barrel Rocket Launcher System at Rajasthan’s Pokhran Range.
As many as 24 rockets were fired for different ranges and different warhead capabilities to meet the objectives of accuracy and consistency.
After the series of trials, the Pinaka-ER missile and its ancillary systems (Area Denial Munitions and indigenously developed fuzes) is now ready for series production by the industry partner, the Ministry of Defence has said.
The system has been designed by DRDO Laboratory Armament Research and Development Establishment (ARDE) along with High Energy Materials Research Laboratory (HEMRL), Pune, the technology has been transferred to the Indian industry.
The industry partner has manufactured Pinaka-ER with DRDO’s help during the production and quality assurance processes. In continuation of the Transfer of Technology, rockets developed by the industry have undergone performance evaluation and quality certification process.
Pinaka Mk-1, which has a range of 37.5 km, is currently in service of the Indian Army and multiple regiments of the system have been deployed in the past. Pinaka-ER, which is an upgraded version of the Pinaka Mk-1, has a range of 45 km and some additional features.
Pinaka – ER is the upgraded version of the earlier version of Pinaka which has been in service with the Indian Army for the last decade. The system has been designed in the light of emerging requirements with advanced technologies enhancing the range.
The trials of Area Denial Munition (ADM) designed by the ARDE for Pinaka and manufactured by the industry partners under technology transfer were part of performance evaluation under technology absorption. ADMs are a category of ammunition used to prohibit the adversary from occupying or passing through a particular area. At the same time, indigenously-developed proximity fuzes for Pinaka rockets have also been tested. The ARDE has developed different fuzes for Pinaka rockets for different types of applications. After design validation trials, performance of these fuzes has been evaluated with flight testing.
The DRDO said these indigenously developed fuzes will replace the imported fuzes. The ARDE has also designed miniaturised fuzes for ADMs. During the same set of trials, the performance of dual-purpose Direct-Action Self Destruction (DASD) and Anti-Tank Munition (ATM) fuzes were evaluated and the results were satisfactory.
In the battlefield, long-range artillery systems like Pinaka are used for attacking the adversary targets prior to close quarter battles which involve smaller range artillery, armoured elements and the infantry.
The development of the Pinaka was started by the DRDO in the late 1980s, as an alternative to the multi barrel rocket launching systems of Russian make called like the ‘Grad’, which are still in use. After successful tests of Pinaka, it was first used in the battlefield during the Kargil war of 1999 quite successfully. Subsequently, multiple regiments of the system came up over the 2000s.
Pinaka MBRL can fire a salvo of 12 rockets over a period of 44 seconds. One battery of Pinaka system consists of six launch vehicles, accompanied by the loader systems, radar and links with network based systems and a command post. One battery can neutralise an area one km by one km. While Pinaka Mk-1 has a range of 37.5 km and Pinaka-ER of 45 km, the Pinaka Mk-II has a range of 60 km. The guided version of the Pinaka has also been developed and tested multiple times and has a range of 75 km. An extended range version of the Pinaka Mk-II and Pinaka Mk-III are also said to be under development.
