India Successfully Tests Long-Range Pinaka Rocket, Strengthening Its Strategic Deterrence
India has taken a major step that has heightened concerns among several neighboring countries at once. With this latest move, India has significantly strengthened its military capabilities, increasing strategic pressure on adversaries such as Pakistan, China, and Bangladesh.
India successfully conducted the first test of the Pinaka Long Range Guided Rocket (LRGR-120) from the Integrated Test Range at Chandipur in Odisha. The test was carried out jointly by the Indian Army and the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO). Following this successful trial, the Pinaka rocket system has become even more lethal and technologically advanced.
China and Pakistan have repeatedly posed security challenges for India in recent years. However, the new version of the indigenous Pinaka rocket system is expected to provide a decisive edge by significantly enhancing India’s strike capabilities. Named after Pinaka, the legendary bow of Lord Shiva, the Pinaka system is designed to deliver devastating firepower in a very short time. The launcher can fire 12 rockets in just 44 seconds, leaving the target area overwhelmed.
After the successful DRDO test, the Pinaka system’s effectiveness has further increased. The rocket launcher is truck-mounted, making it a highly mobile weapons platform that is difficult for enemy forces to detect or neutralize. From a single launcher, 12 rockets can be fired at high speed simultaneously. Notably, the entire system has been designed and manufactured in India, and it currently exists in five variants. The most advanced version, the LRGR-120, has now successfully completed its testing phase.
The Pinaka rocket system is already in service with the Indian Army. It has been proven that rockets of different ranges can be fired from the same launcher. After China deployed rocket systems with ranges of up to 300 kilometers along the border after 2021, the Indian Army requested DRDO to develop Pinaka rockets with ranges of 120 km and 300 km. The long-range precision and accuracy of Pinaka give India a significant strategic advantage along both the China and Pakistan borders.
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh congratulated DRDO on this achievement, stating that the development of long-range guided rockets will substantially strengthen the capabilities of India’s armed forces. DRDO Chairman and Secretary of the Department of Defence Research and Development, Samir V. Kamat, also praised the team for successfully completing the mission.
It is worth recalling that the Pinaka rocket system had earlier demonstrated its effectiveness during the 1999 Kargil War, when it played a key role in targeting Pakistani positions. Significantly, the first test of the 120 km-range rocket was conducted on the same day that the Defence Acquisition Council (DAC) approved its induction into the Indian Army, marking a major milestone in India’s indigenous defense development.