PUNE: The indigenously developed Pinaka rocket system, which can fire 12 rockets in just 44 seconds, has been turned into a precision-guided missile and ground trials will be held in Pokhran, Rajasthan, next month. After that, its range trial will be held in Balasore, Odisha.
Officials from city-based DRDO laboratory Armament Research and Development Establishment (ARDE) on Friday also said that Armenia has shown interest in Pinaka rocket system. Some South East Asian countries are also interested in the system, officials added.
ARDE Director KM Rajan said that a delegation from Armenia was shown a demonstration firing at Pokhran in Rajasthan last month. “Soon, a trial of the newly developed Pinaka missile, with a range up to 80 km, will take place at Pokhran and Balasore,” he added.
The initial version of the Pinaka rocket was further developed into Pinaka Mark II, which has an enhanced range of 70 to 80 km compared to Mark I, with a range of 40 km. The rocket has been developed by the Armament cluster of DRDO, with a lead from ARDE. Along with ARDE, the High Energy Material Research Laboratory in Pune and two DRDO establishments in Hyderabad have contributed to the development. Pinaka Mark I had been used in 1999 Kargil conflict.
ARDE, Pashan Road, was set up in 1958 with the purpose of fostering the research and development activities to meet the weapon and ammunition requirements of the armed forces. “Prior to the formation of DRDO and its constituent laboratories like ARDE, R&D in the field of armaments/explosives was virtually non-existent. From the humble beginnings with the development of Pashan rifles to the development of most advanced and world class weapon systems like Advanced Towed Artillery Gun System (ATAGS) and PGMs, the glorious journey of ARDE has been phenomenal,” Rajan added.
ELECTROMAGNETIC RAIL GUN
ARDE has undertaken a programme to develop an electromagnetic rail gun that can propel a projectile with hypervelocities to create a devastating effect on intended targets. The project is near its completion and accelerating a 100g projectile to 2000m/s has already been achieved. Presently, ARDE is an agency, which is considered playing a pivotal role in developing these technologies.
