INDIA CONDUCTS SECOND TEST-FIRING OF PINAKA ROCKET LAUNCH SYSTEM

The Indian Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) has successfully test-fired the guided Pinaka rocket for the second time this year, from the Integrated Test Range (ITR) at Chandipur, Odisha. The latest test on January 24, 2017, from launch complex-3 of the ITR follows a similar test-firing conducted on January 12.

The guided Pinaka is a modified version of the Pinaka Rocket Mark-II, equipped with a navigation, guidance and control kit, the Indian Ministry of Defence said in a statement. It was co-developed by Armament Research & Development Establishment (ARDE) in Pune, Research Centre Imarat (RCI) in Hyderabad, and Defence Research and Development Laboratory (DRDL) in Hyderabad. Scientific Advisor to Defence Minister Dr G. Satheesh Reddy said that the success of guided Pinaka has helped the country to convert unguided systems into weapons of high precision. The rocket’s flight performance was tracked by a range of radars, electro-optical and telemetry systems.

The test-firing met all mission objectives, the statement said. The Indian Army uses the Pinaka multi-barrel rocket launch (MBRL) system, which is capable of operating in autonomous, stand-alone, remote and manual modes. Designed to replace the army’s BM-21 Grad multiple rocket launcher systems, Pinaka integrates highenergy propulsion, sub-munition warheads, servo-controlled launcher configuration, and a fire control computer. Each Pinaka rocket is able to carry a 100-kg payload over a range of 40 km.