Indian Pinaka Ready For Export

A truly ‘Made in India’ product, the Pinaka weapon system has made rapid strides. Today, the ‘guided’ version has a range of over 70 km. That means India can now use it to carry out surgical strikes across the Line of Control. It is no wonder that a few nations have shown their interest to acquire the weapon system from India. A detailed report.

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Pinaka is a truly 'Made in India' product. A potent self-designed and developed weapon system, Pinaka has filled a key requirement of the Indian Army for an artillery fire power in a dynamic battlefield. This same weapon system is now ready for the export market, says people with knowledge of the development.

The latest offering from India's Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), which had its Punebased laboratory Armament Research & Development Establishment (ARDE) to design and develop the weapon system, is the 'guided' Pinaka. The Indian Army uses the Pinaka as an artillery weapon in support of the ground troops and mechanised forces, to unleash a barrage of rockets on enemy positions, particularly the armoured columns of the adversary.

There have been queries from several friendly foreign countries that want to buy India's Pinaka weapon system that has awed curious military watchers. Among the global regions from where queries have come for buying Pinaka include the South East Asian, African and South American nations, according to Ministry of Defence officials.

The weapon system acts as a force-multiplier, while supplementing the artillery guns. Pinaka, the indigenous unguided rocket system which has been undergoing extensive testing since the past 20 years, is capable of neutralizing a large number of enemy targets with rapid salvos. Pinaka MkI proved its mettle during the Kargil war, neutralising the enemy on the Indian mountain peaks it had occupied. Pinaka's Unique Selling Proposition is its low cost, when compared with other artillery rocket systems of the world with shoot-and-scoot capabilities.