India is no longer the same. Today India is not only a country that purchases arms, but has also become an exporter of weapons developed by indigenous scientists. Now the export of Indian arms is not limited only to the third world countries, but developed countries are also showing interest in India’s defense systems. In this sequence, France also wants to buy a special system from India. For this, one of its high power committees has also visited India.
Actually, India is moving towards a deal for 114 Rafale fighter planes of 4.5 plus generation from France. This is a mega deal worth about Rs 3.25 lakh crore. This is probably considered to be the biggest deal in India’s arms purchase history. Recently the Defense Procurement Council of the Defense Ministry has approved this proposal. Now the Cabinet Committee on Security will give its final approval. After this, there will be detailed talks with France regarding technical aspects and price.
France eyes Pinaka rocket system
We are talking about Pinaka rocket system. This is an excellent multi-barrel rocket launcher system of India, which gives tough competition to the big systems of the world in its category. Its direct competition is with American HIMARS and Russian Tornado S. According to the report, talks are going on at a high level between France and India regarding Pinaka.
If this deal is done then it will be a big achievement for India’s arms exports. France is a developed country, a big player in the global arms market and also a member of NATO. In such a situation, France’s trust on Indian systems will be a big recognition of India’s defense capability.
How far did the conversation reach?
Recently, a high level delegation from France visited India to evaluate the performance, launcher and ammunition of the Pinaka system. France wants to upgrade its army’s old M270 rocket system. He is also developing his new rocket system, but that will take time. In such a situation, Pinaka is being seen as an option to meet the immediate need. Recently, the advanced version of Pinaka was also successfully tested.
Strengths and specialties of Pinaka
Pinaka is an economical and powerful rocket system. It has been in the Indian Army for almost three decades and is continuously being upgraded. It had proved its capability in the Kargil war. Armenia has already purchased this system from India. Its current version can range from 75 to 90 kilometers. The range of Pinaka MK 3 is 120 to 130 kilometers. Work is also going on on Pinaka MK 4, whose range can be up to 300 kilometers.
As far as price is concerned, the price of a Pinaka system is around Rs 2.3 crore, while the cost of the American system is said to be around Rs 19.5 crore. That means there is a difference of about eight times in price. DRDO has prepared it completely with indigenous technology and there is no dependence on foreign countries for any of its parts.
Key Features
- The biggest feature of Pinaka is its fast firing capability.
- It is very effective even in hilly and high altitude areas.
- A single launcher can fire 12 rockets in 44 seconds.
- A complete battery has six launchers and can fire 72 rockets in a minute.
- It has the capacity to destroy a square kilometer area.
- It has multi direction firing capability.
- Each launcher can fire rockets simultaneously in different directions.
- It is effective in every area like plains, desert and mountains.
- It is equipped with shoot and scoot capability, that is, it changes its position rapidly after firing.
- This makes it very difficult for the enemy to target.
- It has four operation modes, Autonomous, Stand Alone, Remote and Manual.
Is pinaka the best
It is difficult to call any system the absolute best among military equipment. It depends on the need and strategy. But due to price, firing capability and effectiveness in every terrain, Pinaka is counted among the top systems in its category. It has been included in the top 5 in the global ranking of multi-barrel rocket systems.
The range of the American system is said to be 300 to 499 kilometers, while the range of the Russian system is 120 to 200 kilometers. Pinaka’s range is still short, but its rapid fire capability makes it special. While HIMARS fires six rockets in 45 seconds, Pinaka can fire 12 rockets in 44 seconds. On the basis of its fire power, it can target a large area in a short time.
