What Happened
- The Indian Army has operationalised its 7th regiment equipped with the indigenous Pinaka Multi-Barrel Rocket Launcher (MBRL) system, continuing the expansion of long-range rocket artillery capability.
- An 8th Pinaka regiment has also been raised and has received more than half its equipment; it is undergoing operational training and is expected to achieve combat readiness by end-2026.
- The Army's long-term goal is to field 22 Pinaka regiments, replacing older Soviet-origin Grad and Smerch systems.
- Each Pinaka regiment has three batteries of six launchers each; a single launcher fires 12 rockets in 44 seconds, enabling a battery salvo to cover an area of roughly 1,000 m × 800 m.
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Pinaka MBRL — DRDO's Indigenous Rocket Artillery System
The Pinaka Multi-Barrel Rocket Launcher is India's premier indigenous long-range rocket artillery system developed by the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), specifically by the Armament Research and Development Establishment (ARDE), Pune. The system was named after the mythological bow of Lord Shiva and was conceived as a replacement for the Soviet-origin BM-21 Grad system.
- Development began in the late 1980s; inducted into the Indian Army in 1999.
- Pinaka saw its first combat use during the Kargil War (1999), successfully neutralising Pakistani positions on mountain tops.
- Pinaka Mark-I (original): Range 40 km; Mark-I Enhanced: up to 45 km.
- Enhanced Pinaka (Guided): Range 75 km; final flight tests completed November 2024.
- Long Range Guided Rocket (LRGR) / Pinaka Mk-3: Range 120 km (DRDO validation trials scheduled 2026).
- Future variants planned: Mk-4 (300 km) and Mk-5 (450 km).
- Each launcher carries 12 rockets (2 pods of 6); a full salvo covers ~1,000 m × 800 m.
- Manufacturers: Tata Power SED, Larsen & Toubro, Bharat Earth Movers Limited (BEML).
- Export potential: India has been in discussions with Armenia, which has reportedly ordered Pinaka systems.
Connection to this news: The 7th regiment operationalised uses Pinaka launchers, likely the Mark-I Enhanced or Guided variant. The expansion to 22 regiments is consistent with the Army's Artillery Transformation Plan to achieve deep-strike dominance.
India's Defence Indigenisation Framework — Atmanirbhar Bharat in Defence
The shift from imported to indigenous weapons systems is a central policy priority under the Atmanirbhar Bharat initiative. For defence, this is operationalised through the Defence Acquisition Procedure (DAP) 2020 and Positive Indigenisation Lists (PILs).
- DAP 2020 replaced the Defence Procurement Procedure (DPP) 2016 — it created a new "Make in India" prioritisation hierarchy: Buy (Indian-IDDM) > Buy (Indian) > Buy & Make (Indian) > Buy & Make > Buy (Global).
- IDDM: Indigenously Designed, Developed and Manufactured — highest priority category.
- Positive Indigenisation Lists (PILs): Ministry of Defence has notified 5 PILs (as of 2025), covering 509 items that can only be sourced domestically, including major platforms.
- Defence Production and Export Promotion Policy (DPEPP) 2020: Target of ₹1.75 lakh crore defence production and ₹35,000 crore defence exports by 2025.
- DRDO: 52 laboratories and establishments; functions under Department of Defence R&D, Ministry of Defence.
- Defence Testing Infrastructure Scheme (DTIS): Supports private sector in establishing defence testing facilities.
Connection to this news: Pinaka's expansion to 7 regiments (with 8th coming) exemplifies IDDM category procurement — the system is fully indigenously designed, developed, and manufactured by Indian PSUs and private sector.
Artillery Modernisation and the Army's Rocket Force Expansion
The Indian Army's Artillery Directorate has been executing a comprehensive modernisation plan to replace ageing Soviet-era rocket systems with more capable indigenous platforms.
- The Grad BM-21 (Soviet, 40 km range) was the predecessor system; Pinaka directly replaces it.
- The Army aims for 22 Pinaka regiments — 7 currently operational, 8th by end-2026, remainder by 2028–2030.
- Automated Gun Aiming Systems (AGAS) and Command Post systems are being integrated with Pinaka for network-centric warfare capability.
- The Pinaka system can fire various rocket types from the same launcher: area denial munitions, anti-tank bomblets, and thermobaric warheads — providing tactical flexibility.
- Regiment structure: 1 regiment = 3 batteries; 1 battery = 6 launchers = 72 rockets per salvo (in ~44 seconds).
- DRDO is also developing the Pralay surface-to-surface ballistic missile (range 150–500 km) as a complementary deep-strike system.
Connection to this news: The 7th regiment's operationalisation accelerates the transition of the Indian Army's rocket force from imported Soviet systems to a fully indigenized, domestically manufactured capability — enhancing strategic autonomy.
Key Facts & Data
- System name: Pinaka MBRL (Multi-Barrel Rocket Launcher)
- Developer: DRDO / ARDE, Pune
- First combat use: Kargil War, 1999
- Current range (Mark-I Enhanced): up to 45 km
- Guided Pinaka range: 75 km (tests completed Nov 2024)
- LRGR / Mk-3 range: 120 km (2026 trials)
- Rocket salvo time: 12 rockets in 44 seconds per launcher
- Army's target: 22 Pinaka regiments total
- Currently operational: 7 regiments (8th by end-2026)
- Manufacturers: Tata Power SED, L&T, BEML
- Replaces: Soviet BM-21 Grad system