IIT-Madras to begin work on ramjet tech to boost range of army's rocket arsenal

TESTS LIKELY TO BEGIN IN MARCH

- Sanjay Maurya and Rahul Singh

Integrating air-breathing ramjet engines into Russian-origin BM-21 Grad and the locally made Pinaka rocket launcher systems is expected to double their range.

(PT)

NEW DELHI: The Indian Institute of Technology, Madras (IIT, Madras) is set to begin work on a critical project that seeks to enhance the range of the Indian Army's rocket arsenal by tapping into ramjet technology, with the initial scope of the firepower boost covering the artillery's Russian-origin BM-21 Grad and the locally made Pinaka rocket launcher systems, officials aware of the matter said.

Integrating air-breathing ramjet engines into these weapons is expected to double their range — from a current maximum of 40km to 80km for the Grad, and from 120km to an impressive 250km for the Pinaka, the officials added.

"Testing of the ramjet engine on the Grad multiple rocket launcher will begin in March and full operational capability is expected to be validated by the end of 2028 before technology can be transferred to a production partner. We will take up the Pinaka upgrade thereafter," said PA Ramakrishna, a faculty in the IIT's department of aerospace engineering.