Defence Ministry clears orders for indigenous area denial munitions

The Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) in India created the Pinaka multiple rocket launcher specifically for the Indian Army. The system can fire a salvo of 12 HE rockets in 44 seconds, with a maximum range of 40 km for the Mark-I and 120 km for the Mark-I enhanced version. The launcher has been named after Lord Shiva and was first developed in the 1980s.

The Indian-made Pinaka weapon system, named after the bow of Hindu god Shiva, has been developed by the Defence Research and Development Organisation. Private sector companies involved in the project include Larsen & Toubro, Tata Defence and Economic Explosives Limited. They have set up production lines for the Pinaka system that are being supplied in bulk to the armed forces.

During the Kargil war in 1999, the Pinaka multi-barrel rocket launcher (MBRL) was effectively employed to eliminate enemy forces and their positions atop mountains. The Army generally deploys a battery that has a total of 72 rockets. All of the 72 rockets can be fired in 44 seconds, taking out an area of 1 km².

The weapon system is one of the first few Indian military terms to have been exported to foreign countries, including Armenia. As part of larger artillery modernisation plans, the army has a requirement of 22 regiments of the Pinaka MBRL. Pinaka regiments of the Indian Army include launchers with automated gun aiming and positioning systems and command posts. The trials of the Pinaka rockets have also been conducted recently by the forces in Pokharan firing ranges in Rajasthan and multiple successful test firings have been carried out during these tests.