Pinaka System Set For Major Upgrade As Indian Army Pursues Over 300 km Strike Range

The Indian Army is reportedly seeking long-range rockets capable of hitting targets over 300 kilometres away, with ongoing developmental efforts to modify the indigenous Pinaka system with advanced capabilities.

The effectiveness of long-range rockets has been demonstrated in the Ukraine-Russia conflict, where they have been used to target high-value enemy assets at a lower cost.

The goal is to extend the range of the existing Pinaka systems by nearly four times to meet operational needs, according to Director general artillery Lieutenant General Adosh Kumar.

"Pinaka has been the success story of the atmanirbharta (self-reliance) drive. The equipment has been extensively exploited and has added more punch and lethality to artillery's arsenal. More regiments of Pinaka are being inducted," Lt Gen Kumar was quoted as saying by The Economic Times.

He also said that modernisation efforts are moving forward at a "pace like never before".

The officer added that several major inductions, such as additional K9 Vajra self-propelled artillery guns and the Advanced Towed Artillery Gun (ATAG) system, are in the pipeline.

Lt Gen Kumar expressed hope that the ATAG programme, which is an indigenously developed artillery gun being made by Bharat Forge and Tata, would reach the contract signing phase within this fiscal year.

"K9 Vajra gun system is ideal for mechanised operations. Dhanush guns are an electronic upgrade of Bofors guns, while the Sharang gun system has been upgunned from 130 mm to 155 mm calibre. More numbers of K9 Vajra, Dhanush and Sharang gun systems are being inducted in near future," he said.

The officer added that a key focus is on acquisition of hypersonic missiles and development work is in progress at the Defence Research and Development Organisation.

To bolster its precision strike capabilities, the Army is also in the process of acquiring medium-range loiter munitions, swarm drones, and runway-independent remotely piloted aerial systems.

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