India on Wednesday successfully flight tested the upgraded version of the Pinaka rocket system. The system has been developed indigenously by the Defense Research and Development Organization (DRDO).
The test flight was conducted from the Integrated Test Range in Chandipur, off the coast of Odisha.
The DRDO said that this new rocket system has a longer range with a reduced length compared to the previous variant (Mk-1). Design and development have been carried out by DRDO, Armament Research & Development Establishment (ARDE) and High Energy Materials Research Laboratory (HEMRL) based in Pune.
See: DRDO successfully tests advanced version of Pinaka rockets
“A total of six rockets were launched in rapid succession and the tests met the full mission objectives,” the DRDO said after the fire test.
All flight items were tracked by range instruments such as telemetry, radar, and electro-optical tracking systems (EOTS) that confirmed flight performance, it further said.
The improved version of the Pinaka rocket would replace the existing Pinaka Mk-1 rockets. While the Mk-1 had a range of 40 km, this improved variant can hit a target from 45 to 60 km away.
The DRDO had last year tested the Mk-2 of the Pinaka rocket system, which has a range of 70-90 km, but this improved version of the Mk-1, which was tested today, can fill a critical gap of hitting targets that they are not so far away.
It has been developed according to the requirements of the armed forces using the rocket system along the border with China (Royal Line of Control). The Chinese have deployed rocket regiments in the occupied Aksai Chin area and this improved version of the Pinaka will help the Indian forces to counter that.
The Pinaka rockets, named after Lord Shiva’s bow, are part of the multi-barrel rocket launcher systems already in use by the Army and have been successfully deployed in operations in both China and Pakistan.
.
