Indian Missiles and Munitions Discussion - June'14

ramana · Post by **ramana** » 22 Jun 2015 22:24

it could be semantics to avoid MTCR guidelines.
IOW India wants to integrate Sagem RLGs in Brahmos.
Some new variant or the follow-on.

Most likely the follow-on.

member_22539 · Post by **member_22539** » 23 Jun 2015 05:42

^What makes Sagem's stuff so much better than what we already have?

ramana · Post by **ramana** » 23 Jun 2015 05:52

We don't know which version they want. Look up Sagem website and see which one it could be.

shiv · Post by **shiv** » 23 Jun 2015 07:39

srin wrote:
There are two ways of looking at this:
that they are supplying technology to Brahmos corp (which means to both Russia and India) without actually anyone saying so.
OR
they are supplying technology only for use on Brahmos and not for general use by DRDO (though I wonder how they can restrict it).

srin the problem I have is as follows. If you buy the latest iPhone are you buying technology or are you buying an iPhone? Is Apple giving you technology or a smart device for your personal use and productivity?

So when this news item says "Sagem is giving technology to Brahmos" wtf does it mean?

It is not clear whether Sagem is providing a finished product like iPhone (which is more likely) or giving knowhow which is extremely unlikely because that would be soosai for Sagem unless they charged next 7 generations future wealth for it and India paid. Why does the minister have to talk to Sagem or France if it is a pvt company to pvt company deal?

If Brahmos is acquiring a finished product (eg a seeker) from Sagem why does the news item say "Brahmos is getting technoiogy". Excuse my vulgar analogy but that is like getting married and announcing that you are getting sexual organs of the opposite sex.

Are we (media/public/individual/forum) unable to differentiate between
1. Technology as knowhow and the knowledge base required to make something from scratch ("teach a man how to fish")
or
2. Technology as a single component bought off the shelf (give the man raw fish to eat any way he wants)
or
3. Technology as a complete finished product like iPhone (feed the man with cooked fish)

What is Brahmos getting? And why is it news?

member_24684 · Post by **member_24684** » 23 Jun 2015 08:20

Brahmos Missile Faces Electronic Warfare Challenge

Indian MoS for Defence Production, Rao Inderjit Singh, met French Minister of Defence Jean-Yves Le Drian on Wednesday, June 17, 2015 in Paris. Among other things, the two ministers discussed India's desire to equip its Brahmos supersonic cruise missile with inertial navigation system developed by French company Safran (Sagem). The French minister agreed in principle to the sale which will be progressed by bureaucrats from both countries

The Brahmos is currently equipped with an Indian developed Satellite Navigation (SatNav) system capable of using signals from GPS, Glonass and INSS constellations, and an Indian developed Inertial Navigation System (INS), which is continuously updated using SatNav.

Gagan Aerospace in Hyderabad makes the Ring Laser Gyro based Inertial Navigation System of the missile developed by Research Center Imarat (RCI).

The imperative to replace the inertial navigation system at this late stage in the life cycle of the missile (first test launched in India in late 2004) may confound many defense watchers. It's clear that the currently fitted INS is deemed inadequate. As to the late realization, there is probably a less damning explanation than DRDO ineptness.

The primary navigation system of the Brahmos is SatNav, with INS being the fallback system. The navigation system is required to bring the missile within close proximity of the target so as to allow the terminal seeker to lock on for pinpoint endgame accuracy.

When Brahmos was developed SatNav was considered accurate and reliable. Today, SatNav is even more accurate, but very unreliable! Electronic Warfare (EW) is the reason!

Electronic Warfare Challenge

SatNav signals can be jammed or spoofed.

A SatNav jammer broadcasts noise (in the L1 and L2 bands typically used for SatNav signals) to overwhelm the rather weak signals emanating from a navigation satellite high in Geosynchronous or Geostationary orbit. Placed in the vicinity of the target, a jammer can cause a SatNav guided missile, shell or bomb to go astray during the endgame.

Spoofing is more subtle than jamming. Typically it involves generating a counterfeit satellite navigation signal identical in structure to a normal signal, or rebroadcasting an authentic satellite navigation signal captured elsewhere causing a navigation error.

Typically, a navigational drift is caused by first broadcasting a signal synchronized with the actual GPS signal and then introducing a progressively increasing error.

It is believed that such spoofing lead astray a Lockheed RQ-170 drone aircraft in northeastern Iran in December, 2011, resulting in the drone's capture.

It is interesting to note that GPS jamming has rapidly evolved over the last five or six years. When India procured the Brahmos from Russia in the early years of the century, GPS jamming wasn't a serious threat. Today you can buy a GPS area jammer for a few thousand dollars. As a result, future battlefields will bristle with them!

The US is facing up to the reality of GPS jamming by improving the accuracy of the fallback inertial systems on its smart weapons, or adding laser guidance as an endgame alternative to SatNav and coordinates.

The widely used US Direct Attack Munition (JDAM) guidance kit that converts unguided gravity bombs, or "dumb bombs," into smart munitions is being tweaked to be more GPS jamming resistant. Proposals to incorporate laser guidance and imaging target recognition are being looked at.

Like the US, India sees the need for a very accurate inertial navigation system that can take Brahmos to its terminal seeker lock on zone for the target if SatNav is compromised.

Lessons for India
The rapidity with which the relevance of the Brahmos missile has come into question because of EW has lessons for India.

DRDO's claim that it co-developed the Brahmos notwithstanding, the missile was Russian, and now it has become Russian and French.

Having developed the INS for the missile, RCI appears to have rested on its oars, allowing obsolescence to creep in. Or perhaps RCI didn't develop the INS in the first place?

To its credit, RCI has been focusing on improving SatNav capability.

On July 8, 2014 a Brahmos missile featuring a G3oM navigational system on chip (SOC) was successfully tested. Developed by RCI lab and produced by Bengaluru based private company Accord Software, the 17-gm G3oM chip can utilize either the GLONASS military signal, or the GAGAN (Augmented GPS) signal, seamlessly and automatically switching between the two, to provide positional updates to host missile or aircraft to an accuracy of 3m. (In future, Indian missiles will have access to the military signal of the IRNSS.)

G3oM reportedly features two antennas for redundancy; in case one antenna is shielded as a result of maneuvering by the host missile, aircraft or even tank, the other antenna ensures access to satellite signal.

The G3oM is small enough to be fitted on Pinaka artillery rockets and smart bombs to make them deadly accurate.

By VK Thakur

shiv · Post by **shiv** » 23 Jun 2015 08:32

SajeevJino wrote: On July 8, 2014 a Brahmos missile featuring a G3oM navigational system on chip (SOC) was successfully tested. Developed by RCI lab and produced by Bengaluru based private company Accord Software, the 17-gm G3oM chip can utilize either the GLONASS military signal, or the GAGAN (Augmented GPS) signal, seamlessly and automatically switching between the two, to provide positional updates to host missile or aircraft to an accuracy of 3m. (In future, Indian missiles will have access to the military signal of the IRNSS.)

By VK Thakur

Generally, an explicit reference to a seller of a product in what is ostensibly a news item or an editorial/blog entry could mean that it is "paid news"

The question is whether the earlier news item about Sagem is also paid news.

member_22539 · Post by **member_22539** » 23 Jun 2015 08:58

^Dosen't make sense. Aren't the inertial guidance systems featured on our ballistic missiles small enough to fit on Brahmos (I thought it was a system on chip thing that is tiny)? Or is it that the French is system is many times better than what we have locally?

Singha · Post by **Singha** » 23 Jun 2015 09:17

the brahmos-A carried by Su30 can tide the situation over for few years - it is the only air launched supersonic weapon we have to attack heavily defended IADS nodes. the kh31P is short on legs and meaty warhead and so is the Popeye....we can atleast produce all the brahmos we want.

we do not have a stealthy air launched weapon until nirbhay-A is IOC which is not even talked about right now in favour of ground and sea launch.

Kersi D · Post by **Kersi D** » 23 Jun 2015 12:49

DOES INDIA HAVE / HAD SA 10 or SA 12 SAM SYSTEM ?

Many years ago i was told by a reliable source (reliable according to me) that we have some 7-8 system for guarding Mumbai (2 systems), Dilli, Vizag, Hyderabad, ????

Sometime back i had read that we do not have any such system. However we got the ST 68U EW radars. Since these radars are "closely associated" with the SA 10/12 SAMs it was thought that we have the SA 10/12 SAM systems.

I am still as confused, as ever

Singha · Post by **Singha** » 23 Jun 2015 12:55

general consensus here is we do not have it. else someone would have spotted it by now.

shiv · Post by **shiv** » 23 Jun 2015 13:28

SajeevJino wrote: It is interesting to note that GPS jamming has rapidly evolved over the last five or six years. When India procured the Brahmos from Russia in the early years of the century, GPS jamming wasn't a serious threat. Today you can buy a GPS area jammer for a few thousand dollars. As a result, future battlefields will bristle with them!

By VK Thakur

Brahmos terminal velocity is about Mach 3 or 1000 meters per second. It is likely that the Brahmos will have a good idea of where it has to hit 2 seconds before it reaches the target - which is 2 km away.

For an "area" GPS blocker to work it will have to block GPS signals over a hemispherical volume of 16 cubic kilometers to block signals in just the last 2 seconds/2 km.

To block signals in the last 5 seconds of Brahmos' flight it will have to have the power to spoof signals over a volume of 260 cubic kilometers assuming that the spoofing signals are not being blocked by terrain.

And all this presumes that the spoofing signal generator knows exactly what is being targeted and will spoof the exact area required.

Not so simple.

Pratyush · Post by **Pratyush** » 23 Jun 2015 13:47

Or more likely, that the enemy will try and execute a blanket spoofing effort over the entire defended area.

It is some thing that the Iraqi's attempted in one of the many skirmishes with the US. Before the Iraqui freedom operation. They were successful on day one. After which the Khans just sent HARM equipped jets to kill the spoofing devices.

Post which the JDAM's worked as advertised.

Austin · Post by **Austin** » 23 Jun 2015 13:53

Brahmos dependency on any kind of GPS like signal is very minimal , Reason being the short distance of ~ 300 km it travels , the speed at which it travels barely 4 mins to cover the distance and using Radar Imaging for target at terminal homing.

Once Brahmos gets an accurate cue before launch which is more important then in flight , in a short period of 4-5 mins the INS would gather minumum error if at all , so correcting those error via GPS is not critical and finally the terminal homing is via some kind of SAR/ISAR mode which does not depend on INS/GPS.

The GPS blocking things works only on system which only relies on GPS signal and not any kind of INS/Radar , the distance travelled to reach target is in hours which means INS accumulates error as it flies hence needs GPS updates midflight.

brar_w · Post by **brar_w** » 23 Jun 2015 13:58

Pratyush wrote:Or more likely, that the enemy will try and execute a blanket spoofing effort over the entire defended area.

It is some thing that the Iraqi's attempted in one of the many skirmishes with the US. Before the Iraqui freedom operation. They were successful on day one. After which the Khans just sent HARM equipped jets to kill the spoofing devices.

Post which the JDAM's worked as advertised.

Page 91 - https://books.google.com/books?id=ubFfD ... PS&f=false

Reports of electroptical and GPS Jammers supplied by Russia to Iraq continued to surface. GPS-Jamming attempts from six jammers were recorded in Baghdad, and JDAM bombs, using GPS/INS guidance, were used to destroy them, in a move Air Force Major General Victor “Gene” Neuart described as ironic.

Interesting article on GPS weapons and jamming ,

http://www.defensenews.com/story/defens ... /28117951/

Additionally with an expected production run of 17,000 bombs, the SDBII with its tri-mode seeker will always be an option against these sort of emitting threats and the ever-reducing cost of the seeker thanks to the economies of scale and the general trend in cost of technology over time will have them proliferate to other weapon sizes as well in the future. This is important since now you have some very sensitive sensors aboard your new aircraft that can themselves geolocate emitting threats whereas in the Gulf-War days you would have had to call in the Wild Weasels or Prowlers and launch a HARM. While the AARGM and AARGM-ER are nothing like the HARM used in the previous wars (with the ER having a solid fueled ramjet motor) you don't need them for such high-volume (potential threats)...The trick is in picking up the emissions and geolocating them through onboard sensors or by collaborating with other aircraft.

Pratyush · Post by **Pratyush** » 23 Jun 2015 14:03

Brar_w,

Thanks for correction, the incident was in the back of my head. But the details were a bit hazy.

Singha · Post by **Singha** » 23 Jun 2015 14:15

there must be specific intel about chinese IADS/EW efforts targeting the brahmos guidance/seeker for this new move.
maybe they read Ahuja sir's scenarios in deep detail. su30s opening gaps in their SAM cover using brahmos...

member_22539 · Post by **member_22539** » 23 Jun 2015 14:38

Saurav Jha ‏@SJha1618 2h2 hours ago Rohtak, Haryana
Make no mistake, the French are supplying a new INS on the Brahmos because @DRDO_India's RCI lab has the necessary capability.

Saurav Jha ‏@SJha1618 2h2 hours ago Rohtak, Haryana
Sagem in any case is emerging as a major partner for India and expect more joint developments with them in the future.

Saurav Jha ‏@SJha1618 2h2 hours ago Rohtak, Haryana
Question is: Why import those at all then? Simple: economics of numbers and order cycle.

Saurav Jha ‏@SJha1618 2h2 hours ago Rohtak, Haryana
In the future, you'll see indigenous ones be sported wonlee

shiv · Post by **shiv** » 23 Jun 2015 16:38

Arun Menon wrote:
Saurav Jha ‏@SJha1618 2h2 hours ago Rohtak, Haryana
Make no mistake, the French are supplying a new INS on the Brahmos because @DRDO_India's RCI lab has the necessary capability.

Very accurate INS made in India has been in news reports for over a decade now starting with Prithvi missiles. What Saurav Jha says reconfirms what my late cousin Kukke Suresh had told me about technology about 15 years ago - the minute you can make it - exporters drop their prices and agree to supply items with that tech.

ramana · Post by **ramana** » 23 Jun 2015 18:12

Anyway good news that the INS module is being rectified for whatever reasons.
shiv, you can guess the targets for Brahmos that they are taking such extraordinary steps. Which of them would have the GPS jammers/whammers etc.?
Also commendable that DRDO agreed to the import right now and didn't tough it out and lead to all round rhona/dhona later on.

To me lesson learned is to establish the INS mfg capability if PGMs are the way of the future.

Aside: Doval namonah maha.

Karan M · Post by **Karan M** » 23 Jun 2015 18:22

What Saurav Jha wrotes makes ample sense. Analyzing the interview he did with RCI has the details.

Satheesh Reddy uses the term capability is mature for RLG-INS at RCI. Mentions its being built in partnership with private firms. I dug out an infoboard which validates this info.

He uses the same descriptor for the FOG for Akash class missiles, and mentions incidentally that upto 200 units were supplied for Akash.

Point being RLG-INS is in production mainly for our strategic platforms - Agni, BMD, Nirbhay, even Brahmos. Our challenge is in making them in numbers, quickly.

and more cost effective variants are in development for the standard tactical applications.

Anyways, interview.
http://www.ibnlive.com/blogs/india/saur ... 48587.html

In fact FOG technology is quite mature and FOGs arebeing produced in numbers. 200 FOGs for instance were recently delivered for the Akash program

SauravJha: And what would you say about the state of RLG technology at RCI?

Satheesh Reddy: Well, it's 'state of the art'. World standard navigation grade RLGs are quite mature here.

SauravJha: Where are these RLGs built?

Satheesh Reddy: They are built in and around the RCI campus.

SauravJha: Under a government owned company operated (GOCO) format?

Satheesh Reddy: Similar. Our first GOCO facility is actually the one that builds electrohydraulic servo valves.

Net, the Brahmos production has ramped up, and needs more volume INS in shorter timeframes.

Karan M · Post by **Karan M** » 23 Jun 2015 18:26

Meanwhile so that other programs that use RLG-INS don't get hold up till we can make significant numbers @ same price
Su-30 MKI & all our aircraft use Sagem Sigma-95 RLG-INS
A variant was on Pinaka launcher but we moved to Honeywell (probably even cheaper)

We can see much the same with BMD program too. PAD/PDV have Indian seekers. Yet we chose an Agat seeker for Astra till local variants got ready. The PAD/PDV ones were actually derived from MMR tech and while very capable, are expensive as well.

shaun · Post by **shaun** » 23 Jun 2015 18:27

A SatNav jammer broadcasts noise (in the L1 and L2 bands typically used for SatNav signals) to overwhelm the rather weak signals emanating from a navigation satellite high in Geosynchronous or Geostationary orbit. Placed in the vicinity of the target, a jammer can cause a SatNav guided missile, shell or bomb to go astray during the endgame.

Agat seekers is for the terminal guidance and thus the so called end game of Brahmos , Block-II have advanced seeker software with target discriminating capabilities.

Karan M · Post by **Karan M** » 23 Jun 2015 18:28

shiv wrote:Very accurate INS made in India has been in news reports for over a decade now starting with Prithvi missiles. What Saurav Jha says reconfirms what my late cousin Kukke Suresh had told me about technology about 15 years ago - the minute you can make it - exporters drop their prices and agree to supply items with that tech.

+100
HAL made these INS for many platforms.
http://hal-india.com/TabbedContentDetai ... 1&TKey=289

Karan M · Post by **Karan M** » 23 Jun 2015 18:30

BTW what this tells me is that Brahmos production orders are huge and we need to fill them up quickly. The local INS production also needs to be ramped up.

shaun · Post by **shaun** » 23 Jun 2015 18:34

how come people write such farticles based on assumptions , if you don't follow the programme closely , you are bound to follow his lines !!

Karan M · Post by **Karan M** » 23 Jun 2015 18:38

These guys don't track programs in detail. VK Thakur is one of the "better" authors but even he makes bloopers from time to time.
Also our establishment is secretive and doesn't release details. In the process they take a hit as people are forced to speculate.

Pratyush · Post by **Pratyush** » 23 Jun 2015 18:50

The rumours were of nearly 1000 missiles.

ramana · Post by **ramana** » 23 Jun 2015 21:03

KaranM, The Sigma-95 RLG_INS looks like great for aircraft applications. The new request could be for a smaller and more agile unit.
There is a need for many types of RLGs for various applications.

----

Do we have general specs for the RCI built RLG being used for Brahmos?

And do we know which model Sagem RLG is being sought?

Kersi D · Post by **Kersi D** » 23 Jun 2015 21:05

Singha wrote:general consensus here is we do not have it. else someone would have spotted it by now.

That's my thinking too.

Kersi D · Post by **Kersi D** » 25 Jun 2015 10:12

shiv wrote:
Arun Menon wrote: Very accurate INS made in India has been in news reports for over a decade now starting with Prithvi missiles. What Saurav Jha says reconfirms what my late cousin Kukke Suresh had told me about technology about 15 years ago - the minute you can make it - exporters drop their prices and agree to supply items with that tech.

Shiv. Pl contact me on https://www.facebook.com/kersi.dotiwalla.

Or e Mail me. Not able to locate yr contact details

Yagnasri · Post by **Yagnasri** » 25 Jun 2015 10:36

Pratyush wrote:The rumours were of nearly 1000 missiles.

How many are being made per year as of now. Old reports says 100 p.a. But if we are looking a major role as some of the gurus mentioned here we may need a lot more than that.

Mango submission alert.

One doubt. Nirbhay is too long legged one for a pakis unless we are trying to attack deep into Beluchisthan. As per my knowledge most of the Paki targets are about 350 plus/minus km from our land. Is there a need to have a huge number of subsonic missile with 500-600 km range and heaver warhead to take care of those targets? 1000 missiles used against carefully selected targets in the first 24 hours of war will have devastating effect on pakis. No?

End mango submission.

vaibhav.n · Post by **vaibhav.n** » 25 Jun 2015 11:29

Karan,

The Honeywell INS is manufactured by Tata SED and is meant for Land navigation purposes. It is a standard with US Army also. Most likely it would be integrated for Armoured/Mechanised Veh and Artillery units and probably with a BMS at a later date for individual blue force tracking.

Honeywell’s Tactical Advanced Land Inertial Navigator (TALIN) enables vehicles and artillery to navigate very precisely, even where GPS satellite guidance is not available, to increase troop safety and maximize mission success. It provides users with extremely precise attitude and position awareness with or without the use of GPS. An important benefit for vehicles and artillery operating across the country’s mountain, desert and forest terrain where satellite signals can be limited.

The initial efforts will begin in 2015 for the TALIN 2000 with production and manufacturing of the system components expected by 2016. At this time the agreement will also be extended to cover Honeywell’s TALIN 3000, 4000 and 5000 products, which offer varying capabilities to suit a wide range of operational requirements.

http://honeywell.com/country/in/News/Pa ... ustry.aspx

Karan M · Post by **Karan M** » 25 Jun 2015 12:18

I don't know whether it is being made in the true sense or assembled mostly with some components made locally as versus being made inhouse like the other INS at Gagan Aero. IMO, all these are "interim fits" if NaMo/Parrikar get a policy in place and invest in volume manufacture of our local items.

SSridhar · Post by **SSridhar** » 25 Jun 2015 14:39

Yagnasri wrote:Mango submission alert.

One doubt. Nirbhay is too long legged one for a pakis unless we are trying to attack deep into Beluchisthan. As per my knowledge most of the Paki targets are about 350 plus/minus km from our land. Is there a need to have a huge number of subsonic missile with 500-600 km range and heaver warhead to take care of those targets? 1000 missiles used against carefully selected targets in the first 24 hours of war will have devastating effect on pakis. No?

End mango submission.

Is Pakistan our only enemy?

ramana · Post by **ramana** » 25 Jun 2015 19:48

KaranM, Most likely the Sagem RLG has high lateral accelerations requirement/capability for maneuvers by the vehicle (low % error as a function of Gs). The DRDO RLG might have high axial acceleration capability as its a secondary navigation instrument. In a GPS jammed environment it has to become the primary navigation instrument and has to support high evasive moves resulting lateral accelerations.
Unless we know more about the Sagem RLG chosen we won't know more.

I think its the Sigma-95N.

http://www.sagem.com/aerospace/military ... on-systems

Bharat Karnad also wonders why Sagem RLG is chosen in view of high performance RLGs available for Agni program.

Karan M · Post by **Karan M** » 26 Jun 2015 20:50

Ramana - you are right about the IAF variant, its the Sigma-95N. IAF has it on Su-30, Jags, MiG-27/29, Hawk, Tejas. HAL is licensing it (for local production) since beginning of year

This was a well thought out decision to standardize on avionics across all our platforms. Eg French MFDs, Sagem INS, Israeli HUD etc. Same units across almost 70% of our fleet.

The DRDO RLG is meant as primary nav sensor for all our strategic missiles.
http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ZA18bZc5HBQ/V ... LG-INS.jpg
Backup INS is this
http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-MeC4g7q6aP4/V ... /MINGS.jpg

A variant of the RLGINS is made for Brahmos by this firm
http://www.gaganaerospace.com/ (a very low profile firm)

RLG prototypes were available by 2005
http://www.drdo.gov.in/drdo/pub/techfoc ... idance.htm
Now they are mature and being used for strat programs
By 2011, they were being qual and tested on our programs
http://www.livefistdefence.com/2011/06/ ... -year.html
By 2012
http://tarmak007.blogspot.in/2012/05/rc ... aesis.html
In his present designation as Group Head, INS division he plays a pivotal role in many ongoing projects such as development of Ring Laser Gyro (RLG) based INS+GPS+GLONASS (Global Navigation Satellite System) systems. The technology is used in Agni-iii, HAL Tejas, and Shaurya missile.

Anyways, BRF software gobbled up rest of my reply, but to summarize the RLG INS is in production now. RINGS was used for Nirbhay. IMO, this is a volume production issue, we have huge orders and very less time.

DRDO doesnt want to delay the missile order, otherwise it becomes fodder for foreign interests again.

ramana · Post by **ramana** » 26 Jun 2015 21:14

KaranM, The DRDO made RLG based INS are likely already assigned for strategic missile programs.

The issue is Brahmos is mainly G3OM with RLG (gagan aerospace made?)guided vehicle from above description. Maybe they feel the need for a secondary source for RLGs in quantity.

More important point is the need for a pure INS guidance for high value targets protected by GPS jammers. That is the point and not the RLG from Sagem.

BTW Gagan Aerospace page doesn't open!

Yagnasri · Post by **Yagnasri** » 26 Jun 2015 21:37

@SSridharj

Pakis are not our only enimies. My question is is we can have a 500-600 km range sub sonic missile which we can use on pakis.

member_23694 · Post by **member_23694** » 29 Jun 2015 09:53

"Make In India - New Deal For Defence - Transport Solutions India" suggests orders for 48 vehicles for carrying Agni 5 as part of initial orders

member_27581 · Post by **member_27581** » 30 Jun 2015 14:15

Submunition warheads successfully tested for Pinaka I
The advanced trials of Pinaka I, a complete multi-barrel rocket launcher (MBRL) system, were successfully carried out for the ‘submunition warheads’ here at Pokhran field firing range in Rajasthan on Monday. Pinaka has been indigenously developed by the Armament Research and Development Establishment (ARDE), Pune, a laboratory of Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO).

Dr KM Rajan, director, ARDE, told TOI that the success of the latest trials has paved the way for these submunition warheads to be used in mark-II version of Pinaka as well which is going to have a 20-km longer range.

Claiming that the development trials for a 60-km range for Pinaka II have been termed successful by the users (Indian Army), Dr Rajan said that the current trials are a part of the ‘proof trials’ for the ‘production lot of Pinaka I’ wherein random Pinakas are picked up to test the performance standards of a specific lot at regular periods. “Complete systems, subsystems and efficiency for these submunition warheads have been tested today,” said he.

Senior DRDO officials said on the condition of anonymity that while Pinaka II has been tested for ranges beyond 60 kilometres as well, the DRDO is just claiming ’60-kilometre-range’ both for consistency and ‘playing it safe’ reasons.

The DRDO officials disclosed that not only the volume of Pinaka rockets is being increased in the production lines to cater to the army’s needs, even their strike capability in terms of a longer range is being increased.

The indigenous Pinaka MBRL can act as a force-multiplier. It is known as an area weapon system which can fire a salvo of 12 high explosive (HE) rockets in 44 seconds while neutralising a marked area of 3.9 square kilometres.

“We have seen Pinaka’s performance during the Kargil episode. And now this thermo-baric ammunition is able to operate from a mobile launcher at extreme temperature ranges of -10 degrees Celsius to 55 degrees Celsius with a quicker reaction time. It also has the capability to carry various kinds of warheads. It has now become more lethal,” said the official, adding that its thermal and blast effects have been developed for MBT Arjun to further boost its firepower. The ARDE and DRDO officials were also present with the Indian Army officials during these trials at Pokhran.

MBRL system can fire in different directions in one go

Jodhpur: The state-of-the-art Pinaka MBRL system is endowed with a capacity to fire in different directions and can work in various modes including autonomous mode while being controlled by a fire control computer, standalone mode, manual mode or remote mode etc. Taking pride in the low-cost factor of Pinaka vis-a-vis other such rocket systems in the world bestowed with shoot and scoot capabilities, DRDO officials disclosed that a Pinaka battery consists of six launchers and each is equipped with 12 rockets. It can carry more than 100 kg of payload for a 40 km range as in case of Pinaka I. The Pinaka went into development in 1986 and production in 1998. The system mounted on a Tatra truck works in a way that all the 72 rockets in a single battery can be fired in just 44 seconds while each of the six launchers can fire in different directions too.

A kind of warhead for Pinaka

Jodhpur: The submunition warheads tested on Monday are among the eight kinds of warheads for Pinaka. The submunition incendiary warheads are valuable for inflammable targets while there are cluster warheads armed with anti-personnel and anti-tank submunitions. Runway denial penetrating submunition warheads are aimed at neutralising targets like runways and other complexes.