DRDO exploring possibility of increasing range of Pinaka MBRL

COIMBATORE: The Armament and Combat Engineering Cluster wing of DRDO, Pune is exploring the possibility of increasing the range of Pinaka Multi Barrel Rocket Launch System ( MBRL) from 40 km to 60 km, a top official said here today.

"The trials are in the process at the cluster, which will be followed by field based trials," Anil M Datar, the distinguished scientist and ACE Director General told reporters on the sidelines of a graduation day function at the Sri Ramakrishna Engineering College here.

On ongoing projects, Datar said that ACE is engaged in making weapons for the next six to 10 years, considering the technological advancements.

He said ACE was working to get more accuracy to target in guided rockets, even as manual labour is reduced and automation increased.

ACE was also in the process of developing a quick launcher portable bridge that can move along with the equipment, Datar said.

Earlier addressing the graduates, Datar said there was a huge gap between defence technology in India and that found worldwide and called for steps to bridge it. Further research was essential for improving existing systems and developing new ones, he said.

Datar stressed the need for educational institutes to impart the latest knowledge to enable young engineers develop technologies for advanced weapons systems to make the nation self reliant in critical defence technology systems.

Any war strategies are directly related to availabilityand efficiency of weapons, he said, adding that in thechanging scenario, global wars and space wars may become a reality.