The Defence Ministry has accepted a Rs 2,800 crore request for the purchase of about 6,400 rockets for Pinaka multi-barrel rocket launcher systems, which is a significant boost for the Indian Army. According to defence sources, the proposal for the acquisition of two variants of these rockets, known as Area Denial Munition Type 2 and Type-3, was approved at a recent meeting of the defence Ministry’s Defence Acquisition Council.

The Indian Army will only purchase the rockets from domestic suppliers. According to sources, the two primary contenders are Munitions India Limited and Economic Explosives Limited of Solar Industries.

Named after the bow of the Hindu deity Shiva, the Pinaka weapon system was developed by the Defence Research and Development Organisation of India. The weapon system is among the first few military technologies from India that has been exported to other nations, such as Armenia. Private companies like Larsen & Toubro, Tata Defence, and Economic Explosives Limited. are working on the project and have set up production lines for the Pinaka system.

22 Pinaka MBRL regiments are needed by the army as part of bigger plans for artillery modernization. The Indian Army’s Pinaka regiments are comprises with command posts and launchers featuring automated cannon aiming and positioning systems. The armed forces have also recently tested the Pinaka rockets at the Pokharan firing ranges in Rajasthan, and during these tests, numerous successful test firings have been carried out.