DRDO Pinaka

DRDO Pinaka Story

All of the world's leading militaries use some form of Multiple Rocket Launch System (MLRS) on the battlefield. These vehicles are designed for area saturation, but more advanced types can use conventional or specialized warheads to deliver surgical strikes from far beyond the enemy's response range. In the mid-1980s, India's Defence Research and Development Organization (DRDO) began development of a new MLRS weapon system, which became the active-duty "Pinaka".

Since then, three major lineage markers have emerged.

The Pinaka was originally formed in response to a need for a long-range area saturation weapon proposed by the Indian Army in 1981 to replace the aging Soviet-era series with the same effect. By the mid-1990s, the indigenous system was operational and entered the Indian Army's stockpile after the required trial and testing period.

To date (2017), the Indian Army has about 54 Pinaka vehicles in circulation, which are manufactured by Tata Power SED, Larsen & Toubro and Ordnance Factory Council. In production since 1998, the Soviet-era BM-21 vehicles are being replaced by these newer machines in service with the Indian Army.

The complete weapon system consists of an 8x8 wheeled heavy duty diesel powered military truck with a fully armored cab in the front and a fighting compartment in the middle of the ship. Above the rear of the pickup is the launcher assembly, which has its own lift and traverse mechanism to target the missile pod no matter which direction the truck is facing.

Lower the support arm to stabilize the launcher and aid recoil before launching the missile. The launch vehicle assembly has two pods, each with 6 rockets, for a total of 12 rockets.

The missiles have a caliber of 214mm, and both pods can be cleared in 45 seconds and reloaded by the accompanying support vehicle. A full Pinaka battery can be used for six transmitters. For low light/night conditions, the crew can choose night vision goggles.

In addition to conventional warheads, these missiles can carry chemical, nuclear and infantry/anti-tank payloads. Missiles can also be launched locally or remotely and cover large areas - useful for eliminating stubborn enemy presence or driving soft targets underground or backwards.

The original model Pinaka Mk. 1 appeared with an inherent range of up to 30 km. This was later improved upon by the successor Pinaka Mk. 2 variant, in which the range has been increased to 65 km. Since then, another upgraded model has appeared on the horizon, the Pinaka Mk.

3, which promises to increase the range to 120 kilometers. Other upgrades (backed by Israel) include GPS-guided munitions for surgical strikes.

Specification

Basic

Roles

Dimensions

Performance

Performance

Armor

12 x missiles. Reloading depends on the supplied supply vehicle. Supported warhead types include conventional, anti-tank, anti-infantry, chemical, and nuclear warheads.

Changes