India’s Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) has completed flight-testing of the Guided Pinaka Multi-Barrel Rocket Launcher (MBRL).
The three-phase test assessed the system according to multiple parameters, including range, accuracy, consistency, and rate of fire for multiple target engagement in salvo mode.
It involved 12 rockets from each production agency being launched from a pair of in-service Pinaka launchers, the Indian Ministry of Defence said in a press release.
Guided Pinaka
The Armament Research and Development Establishment (ARDE) designed and developed the Pinaka’s precision strike variant, which is capable of striking targets 75 kilometers (47 miles) away.
A Pinaka MBRL unit consists of 18 launchers, each with 12 launch tubes.
Mounted on an 8×8 Tata vehicle, the initial Pinaka variant had a range of 37.5 kilometers (23.3 miles) and accuracy within 500 meters (1,640 feet).
A guidance kit was added to the system by the ARDE in 2016, enhancing its range and improving its accuracy to within 10 meters (33 feet).
Additionally, two Pinaka variants were approved for development earlier this year with ranges of 120 kilometers (74 miles) and 300 kilometers (186 miles).
