Pinaka Multi Barrel Rocket Launcher: Facts, Discussion Forum, and Encyclopedia Article
Pinaka is a multiple rocket launcher
Multiple rocket launcher
A multiple rocket launcher is a type of unguided rocket artillery system. Like other rocket artillery, multiple rocket launchers are less accurate and have a much lower rate of fire than batteries of traditional artillery guns....
produced in India
India
India, officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and outlying territories by total area country by geographical area, the List of countries by population country, and the most populous liberal democracy in the world....
and developed by the DRDO for the Indian Army
Indian Army
The Indian Army is the largest branch of the Indian Armed Forces of India and has the responsibility for army military operations. Its primary objectives include defending India from external aggression, maintaining peace and security within the country, patrolling borders and conducting counter-terrorist operations....
. The system has a maximum range of 39-40 km, fire a salvo
Salvo
A salvo is the simultaneous discharge of artillery or firearms including the firing of guns either to hit a target or to perform a salute.Troops armed with muzzleloaders required time in which to refill their weapon with gun powder and shot....
of 12 HE
Explosive material
File:M112 Demolition Charge.jpgAn explosive material is a material that either is chemistry or otherwise energetically unstable or produces a sudden expansion of the material usually accompanied by the production of heat and large changes in pressure upon initiation; this is called the explosion....
rockets in 44 seconds, neutralizing a target area of 3.9 sq. km. The system is mounted on a Tatra truck
Truck
File:Red truck USA.JPGA truck is a type of motor vehicle commonly used for carrying goods and materials. Some light trucks are relatively small, similar in size to a passenger automobile....
for mobility.
Pinaka saw service during the Kargil War
Kargil War
The Kargil War, also known as the Kargil conflict, was an war between India and Pakistan that took place between May and July 1999 in the Kargil district of Kashmir....
, where it was successful in neutralizing enemy positions on the mountain tops. It has since been inducted into the Indian Army in large numbers.
Development
The Indian Army operates the Russian BM-21
BM-21
The BM-21 Grad is a Soviet truck-mounted 122-mm multiple rocket launcher, developed in the early 1960s. BM stands for boyevaya mashina, ?combat vehicle?, and the nickname means ?hail?....
'Grad' Launchers. In 1981, in response to the Indian Army
Indian Army
The Indian Army is the largest branch of the Indian Armed Forces of India and has the responsibility for army military operations. Its primary objectives include defending India from external aggression, maintaining peace and security within the country, patrolling borders and conducting counter-terrorist operations....
's need to a long range artillery system, the Indian Ministry of Defence sanctioned two competence building projects. In July 1983, the Army formulated their General Staff Qualitative Requirement (GSQR) for the system, with planned induction of one Regiment per year from 1994 onwards. This system would eventually replace the Grads.
Development began in December 1986, with a sanctioned budget of Rs 26.47 crore. The development was to be completed in December 1992. Pune
Pune
Pune ,Pune is the administrative capital of Pune district and the 7th Metro city of India.Pune is known to have existed as a town since 937 AD....
-based DRDO laboratory, Armament Research and Development Establishment
Armament Research and Development Establishment
Armament Research & Development Establishment is a laboratory of the Defence Research & Development Organization . Located in Pune, it is the main DRDO lab involved in the development of Conventional Armaments....
was the lead laboratory for the development of the system.
Details
Pinaka is a complete MBRL system, each Pinaka battery consists of six launcher vehicles, each with 12 rockets, six loader cum replenishment vehicles, three replenishment vehicles, a Command Post vehicle with a Fire Control computer and the DIGICORA MET radar. A battery of six launchers can neutralize an area of 1000 m x 800 m.
Modes of Operation
The launcher can operate in the following modes:
Autonomous mode. The launcher is fully controlled by a fire control computer (FCC). The microprocessor on the launcher automatically executes the commands received from the FCC, giving the operator the status of the system on displays and indicators.
Stand-alone mode: In this mode, the launcher is not linked to the FCC operator, and the operator at the console enters all the commands for laying of the launcher system and selection of firing parameters.
Remote mode: In this mode, a remote control unit carried outside the cabin up to a distance of about 200 m can be used to control the launcher system, the launcher site and to unload the fired rocket pods from the launcher.
Manual mode: All launcher operations including laying of the system and firing are manually controlled. This mode is envisaged in the situations where the microprocessor fails or where there is no power to activate the microprocessor-based operator’s console.
The Pinaka was tested in the Kargil conflict
Kargil War
The Kargil War, also known as the Kargil conflict, was an war between India and Pakistan that took place between May and July 1999 in the Kargil district of Kashmir....
and proved its effectiveness. Since then it has been inducted into the Indian Army
Indian Army
The Indian Army is the largest branch of the Indian Armed Forces of India and has the responsibility for army military operations. Its primary objectives include defending India from external aggression, maintaining peace and security within the country, patrolling borders and conducting counter-terrorist operations....
and series production has been ordered. The Pinaka MBRL is stated to be cheaper than other systems. It costs Rs 23 million per system compared to the M270 which costs Rs 195 million.
Salient Features
* Use of state-of-the-art technologies for improved combat performance
* Total operational time optimised for shoot & scoot capability
* Cabin pressurisation for crew protection in addition to blast shields
* Microprocessor-based fully automatic positioning and fire control console
* Night vision devices for driver and crew
* Neutralisation/destruction of the exposed troop concentrations, ‘B’ vehicles and other such soft targets
* Neutralisation of enemy guns/rocket locations
* Laying of antipersonnel and antitank mines at a short notice.
Orders
The Pinaka project has been a significant success for the DRDO and its development partners in developing and delivering a state of the art, high value project to the Indian Army's demanding specifications. Whilst DRDO was responsible for the overall design and development, its partners played a significant role in developing important subsystems and components. They include TATA
Tata
Tata may refer to:...
Power Co. Ltd. Strategic Electronic Division (TataPowerSED)and Larsen & Toubro
Larsen & Toubro
Larsen and Toubro is an India-based conglomerate , with diverse interests such as construction, hydraulic equipment, electrical and electronic power services, fertilizer projects, medical electronics, financial services and information technology....
Ltd. to state owned Ordnance Factory Board, for the rockets as well as other private and public firms.
The first Pinaka regiment was raised on February 2000. Each regiment consists of three batteries of six Pinakas each, plus reserves. On March 29, 2006, the Indian Army
Indian Army
The Indian Army is the largest branch of the Indian Armed Forces of India and has the responsibility for army military operations. Its primary objectives include defending India from external aggression, maintaining peace and security within the country, patrolling borders and conducting counter-terrorist operations....
awarded TataPowerSED and Larsen & Toubro
Larsen & Toubro
Larsen and Toubro is an India-based conglomerate , with diverse interests such as construction, hydraulic equipment, electrical and electronic power services, fertilizer projects, medical electronics, financial services and information technology....
's Heavy Engineering Division a contract worth Rs 200 crore (US $45 million), to produce 40 Pinaka MBRLs each. TataPowerSED declared that it would be delivering the first units within six months. The Indian Army has placed an indent for Pinaka Weapon System worth Rs 1300 crores.
Deployment
The Pinaka will be operated in conjunction with the Indian Army's Firefinder radars and indigenously developed BEL Weapon Locating Radar of which 28 are on order. The Indian Army is networking all its artillery units together with the DRDO's Artillery Command & Control System (ACCS), which acts as a force multiplier. The ACCS is now in series production. The Pinaka units will also be able to make use of the Indian Army's SATA (Surveillance & Target Acquisition) Units which have been beefed up substantially throughout the late 90's, with the induction of the Searcher-1
IAI Searcher
The IAI Searcher is a reconnaissance UAV developed in Israel in the 1980s. In the following decade, it replaced the IMI Mastiff and IAI Scout UAVs then in service with the Israeli Army....
, Searcher-2
IAI Searcher
The IAI Searcher is a reconnaissance UAV developed in Israel in the 1980s. In the following decade, it replaced the IMI Mastiff and IAI Scout UAVs then in service with the Israeli Army....
and IAI Heron
IAI Heron
The Heron or Machatz-1 is an Unmanned Aerial Vehicle developed by the Malat division of Israel Aerospace Industries. It is capable of Medium Altitude Long Endurance operations of up to 52 hours' duration at up to 35,000 feet....
UAVs into the Indian Army, as well as the purchase of a large number of both Israeli made and Indian made Battle Field Surveillance radars. These have also been coupled with purchases of the Israeli LORROS
LORROS
Long-Range Reconnaissance and Observation System or LORROS is a sensor system developed by Elbit Systems to provide long-range daytime and night-time surveillance....
(Long Range Observation and Sighting System) which is a combination of FLIR/CCD
Charge-coupled device
A charge-coupled device is an analog signal shift register that enables the transportation of analog signals through successive stages , controlled by a clock signal....
system for long range day/night surveillance.
Presently, three regiments of Pinaka have now been inducted by the Army. The Indian Army will induct an additional number of regiments of the Pinaka during its next planning period (2012-2017) as the older Grad MLRS regiments are retired.
Future Plans
The Pinaka is in the process of further improvement. Israel Military Industries
Israel Military Industries
Israel Weapons Industries , formerly the small arm "Magen" division of the Israel Military Industries Ltd. In 2005, the Small Arms Division of IMI was privatized as Israel Weapon Industries Ltd....
teamed up with DRDO to implement its Trajectory Correction System (TCS) on the Pinaka, for further improvement of its CEP
Circular error probable
In the military science of ballistics, circular error probable or circular error probability is an intuitive measure of a weapon system's Accuracy and precision....
. This has been trialled and has shown excellent results. The rockets can also be guided by GPS to improve their accuracy. A wraparound microstrip antenna has been developed by DRDO for this system.
While the Pinaka will not be developed further into a larger system, its success and the experience gained from the program has led the ARDE
Armament Research and Development Establishment
Armament Research & Development Establishment is a laboratory of the Defence Research & Development Organization . Located in Pune, it is the main DRDO lab involved in the development of Conventional Armaments....
and its partner organizations, to launch a project to develop a long range MBRL in the class of the Smerch MBRL
BM-30
The BM-30 Smerch or GRAU is a Soviet Union multiple rocket launcher. The system is designed to defeat manpower, armored and soft-skinned materiel in concentration areas, artillery batteries, command posts and ammunition depots....
. A 7.2-metre rocket for the Pinaka MBRL, which can reach a distance of 120 km and carry a 250 kg payload. These new rockets can be fired in 44 seconds, have a maximum speed of mach 4.7, rise to an altitude of 40 km before hitting its target at mach 1.8 and can destroy an area of 3.9 sq km. Integrating UAV
Unmanned aerial vehicle
File:MQ-9 Reaper in flight .jpgAn unmanned aerial vehicle is an unpiloted aircraft. UAVs come in two varieties: some are controlled from a remote location, and others fly autonomously based on pre-programmed flight plans using more complex dynamic automation systems....
with the Pinaka is also in the pipeline, as DRDO intends to install guidance systems on these rockets to increase their accuracy. Development and trials will continue and the rocket is expected to enter service by 2012.
Specifications
* Range: 7 km - 40 km (4.4 - 26 mi)
* Rocket Diameter: 214 mm (8.42 in)
* Length: 4.95 m (16.24 ft)
* Warhead weight: 100 kg (220 lbs)
* Total weight: 276kg (608 lbs)
Warheads:
* Fragmentation high explosive
* Incendiary
* Anti-Tank and Anti-Personnel minelettes
* Anti-Tank bomblettes
Launcher
* Based on a Kolos Tatra
Tatra (car)
Tatra is a vehicle manufacturer in Koprivnice, Czech Republic. The company was founded in 1850 as Nesselsdorfer Wagenbau-Fabriksgesellschaft, a wagon and carriage manufacturer, and in 1897 produced the first motor car in central Europe, the Pr?sident....
truck for high mobility. The truck is license manufactured by BEML
BEML
Bharat Earth Movers Limited is an Indian Public Sector Undertaking, with headquarters in Bangalore. It manufactures a variety of heavy equipment, such as that used for earth moving, transportation and mining....
.
* The truck features a central type regulation system; the driver can adjust the tire pressure to suit the terrain for optimum mobility.
* Two rocket pods per launcher, with a total of twelve rockets between them.
* A total of six launchers per battery.
* Launchers are NBC protected, have their own computerized fire control system, and automatic positioning system.
* The Pinaka system and the launchers are designed for shoot and scoot fire missions thanks to the use of an inertial navigation system
Inertial navigation system
An Inertial Navigation System is a navigation aid that uses a computer and motion sensors to continuously calculate via dead reckoning the position, orientation, and velocity of a moving object without the need for external references....
SIGMA 30.
* A battery of six launchers can neutralize an area of roughly 1000 * 800 meters at 40 km range.
* The launcher assembly has electromagnetic elevation and traverse, with traverse being 90º left and right of the centerline and elevation up to 55º
Rate of Fire for a complete salvo from a launcher:
* Approximately 44 seconds.
Salvo Reload time
* 4 minutes.
CEP
* 1-2% of range
* Improved substantially when Trajectory Correction System was incorporated.
External links
* Pinaka - Bharat Rakshak Updated: April 02 2006
* Pinaka MBRL (PDF), DRDO Technology Focus, December 2006 .
* Pinaka: First private product ready to fire
* Tata, L&T bag orders for Pinaka rocket launcher
* Gallery of Pinaka prototypes and technical details at Acig.org
* BEML bags big defence vehicle deal
* Rediff news article on Pinaka test
* Dated article on the Pinaka
* TataPowerSED Weapon Systems
Video
* Pinaka MBRL
* Pinaka MBRL, Times Now, April 9, 2008