Secretary Department of Defence R&D and DRDO chairman G Satheesh Reddy has congratulated the entire DRDO community for successful trials of the missile

NEW DELHI: India on Friday successfully test fired guided Pinaka missile with live warhead for the first time. Two rounds of the lethal missile were fired in salvo mode for a reduced range as part of series developmental tests.

The indigenously built missile with new navigation, control and guidance systems was flight tested from the Integrated Test Range (ITR) off Odisha coast during noon. Two missiles were launched with 60 seconds interval between two firings. 

With the two firings Pinaka achieved a hat-trick success besides proving the system’s multiple capabilities. The test with live warhead came a day after the weapon system was test fired from the same facility for a range of 75 km. 

The missile was integrated with live warhead with proximity fuse and both the rounds were tracked by multiple range systems, including telemetry, radars, Electro-Optical Tracking System (EOTS), which confirmed the text book flight performance.

The missiles were fired to engage a target located at 20 km range. A defence official said the mission objective of the trials was to test low range, functioning of live warhead along with its proximity initiation and salvo launch.

“The trials are very crucial as far as Pinaka guided system is concerned. It is a rocket system which has evolved into a missile. High accuracy level has been achieved. The preformed fragmented warhead makes it more lethal. After few more trials, it would be inducted in the Armed Forces,” he said.

The performance of earlier version of Pinaka was lauded during the Kargil War, when it was successful in neutralising enemy positions on mountain tops. The Mark-II version is capable of destroying enemy camps across the LoC with pinpoint accuracy.

Developed by Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), guided Pinaka missile has an on-board computer calculating its flight trajectory and location by using the Global Positioning System (GPS). The navigation system of the missile is aided by the Indian Regional Navigation Satellite System. Unlike the earlier version it can be brought to track by guiding its aerodynamic canards if the missile deviates from trajectory.

The rocket was fired from a multi-barrel rocket launcher that is capable of firing 12 rockets with high explosives within 44 seconds and destroy a target area of four sq km at a time. Each Pinaka missile can deliver 100 kg of high explosive onto the target.