What is the Pinaka Missile system that will be deployed along India’s border with China and Pakistan?

Team Udayavani, Sep 3, 2020, 1:00 PM IST

Defence Ministry on August 31, signed contracts to supply six Pinaka regiments, a system of rocket launchers, to the Indian Army at an approximate cost of ₹ 2,580 crore by 2024

Pinaka regiments will be deployed along India’s border with China and Pakistan to further enhance operational preparedness of the armed forces

The contract has been signed with Tata Power Company Ltd (TPCL) and engineering major Larsen & Toubro (L&T) while defence public sector undertaking Bharat Earth Movers Ltd (BEML) will also be part of the project.

The six Pinaka regiments comprise 114 launchers with Automated Gun Aiming and Positioning System (AGAPS) and 45 Command Posts to be procured from TPCL and L&T and 330 vehicles to be procured from BEML.

According to Civilsdaily, Pinaka is an indigenously developed rocket system named after Lord Shiva’s mythological bow.

The Pinaka is a DRDO designed and developed system of multi-barrel rocket launchers and reserves mounted on a vehicle. It was first used during the Kargil War, and has since been inducted into the Indian Army in large numbers. One Pinaka regiment consists of 18 systems.

The Pinaka, which is primarily a multi-barrel rocket system (MBRL) system, can fire a salvo of 12 rockets over a period of 44 seconds.

One battery of Pinaka system consists of six launch vehicles, accompanied by the loader systems, radar and links with network based systems and a command post. It can neutralize an area one kilometre by one kilometre.

The Civilsdaily report also states that the Mark-I version of Pinaka has a range of around 40 kilometres and the Mark-II version can fire up to 75 kilometres.

The Mark-II version of the rocket has been modified as a guided missile system by integrating it with the navigation, control and guidance system to improve the end accuracy and increase the range.

The navigation system of the missile is linked with the Indian Regional Navigation Satellite System.

The Pinaka regiments will be operationalised along India’s Northern and Eastern borders