Pinaka Long Range Guided Rocket Test (Space & Defence Sectors)
Pinaka Long Range Guided Rocket Test (Space & Defence Sectors)
Why In News:
The DRDO successfully carried out a flight test of the Pinaka Long Range Guided Rocket (LRGR) at the Integrated Test Range (ITR), Chandipur, Odisha, on 8 July 2026.
The rocket was tested for a user-defined minimum range of 60 km.
Source: The Hindu, Page 12, 9 July 2026 - 'DRDO conducts successful flight test of Pinaka rocket'
Development and Design
The Pinaka LRGR is Indigenously developed by the Defence Research and Development Organisation’s Armament Research and Development Establishment.
The rocket was launched from the in-service Pinaka launcher, demonstrating the launcher's ability to fire Pinaka variants of different ranges from the same platform.
This test follows a maiden LRGR-120 test in December 2025, which validated the rocket's maximum range of 120 km.
Significance
Strengthens India's indigenous long-range precision strike artillery capability under the Pinaka Multiple Launch Rocket System (MLRS) family.
Enhances the Indian Army's operational flexibility, since a single launcher can now fire multiple Pinaka variants of different ranges.
Key Facts for Prelims
Pinaka is named after the bow of Lord Shiva; the system was originally developed to replace Soviet-era Grad rocket systems and first saw action in the 1999 Kargil War.
The Pinaka family includes the original Pinaka Mk-I, Guided Pinaka, Enhanced Pinaka, and now the Long Range Guided Rocket (LRGR).
Pinaka rocket systems are produced with private industry participation under India's defence indigenisation push, alongside DRDO laboratories.
The Integrated Test Range, Chandipur, in Odisha, is India's principal missile and rocket testing facility on the east coast.