Developed by Pune DRDO labs, Pinaka LRGR successfully tested at its minimum range

3 min readJul 8, 2026 09:35 PM IST

The Pinaka, which is primarily a multi barrel rocket system (MBRL) system, can fire a salvo of 12 rockets over a period of 44 seconds (Image: PIB/Enhanced with AI)

A Successful flight test of the Pinaka Long Range Guided Rocket (LRGR) was conducted successfully at Integrated Test Range (ITR) Chandipur on Wednesday. Designed by two Pune based premier facilities of the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), the rocket was tested for its minimum range of 60 kilometers and impacted on the target with precision, the Ministry of Defence said on Wednesday.

Long-range rocket systems such as the Pinaka are intended to engage enemy positions deep inside hostile territory before frontline forces move into combat, enabling the armed forces to weaken key targets from a stand-off distance. Named after the mythical bow of Lord Shiva, the Pinaka LRGR has been developed by Pune-based Armament Research and Development Establishment in collaboration with Pune’s High Energy Materials Research Laboratory, with technological support from Hyderabad-based Defence Research and Development Laboratory and Research Centre Imarat. The maiden test of the Pinaka LRGR was conducted in December last year when the system was tested at its maximum range of 120 kilometers.

“All the deployed range instruments tracked the flight throughout its trajectory. The rocket was launched from the in-service Pinaka launcher demonstrating its versatility and providing launch capability of Pinaka variants of different ranges from the same launcher.” the MoD press statement read.

“Defence Minister Rajnath Singh congratulated DRDO, Indian Army and industry on the achievement. He described it as a major milestone in indigenous design and development capability for long range guided rockets. DRDO Chairman Rajesh Kumar Singh closely monitored the trial and congratulated all the teams for accomplishing the mission objectives.” said the MoD press statement.

Pinaka Long Range Guided Rocket (LRGR) was successfully tested for a user defined minimum range of 60 km at the Integrated Test Range (ITR), Chandipur on 08 July 2026. During the trial, LRGR impacted on the target with textbook precision exactly following the predicted… pic.twitter.com/c8daYom3rw

— DRDO (@DRDO_India) July 8, 2026

The development of the Pinaka was started by the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) in the late 1980s, as an alternative to the Russian made multi barrel rocket launching systems called the ‘Grad’. After successful tests of Pinaka Mark-1 in the late 1990, it was first used in the battlefield during the Kargil war of 1999. Subsequently multiple regiments of the system came up.

The Pinaka, which is primarily a multi barrel rocket system (MBRL) system, can fire a salvo of 12 rockets over a period of 44 seconds. One battery of the Pinaka system consists of six launch vehicles, accompanied by the loader systems, radar and links with network based systems and a command post. One battery can neutralise an area one kilometre by one kilometre. As a key tactic of long range artillery battle, the launchers have to ‘shoot and scoot’ to ensure they themselves do not become the targets, especially due to its back blast. Thus the launcher vehicles are required to have a high degree of maneuverability.

Sushant Kulkarni is a Special Correspondent with The Indian Express in Pune with 12+ years of experience covering issues related to Crime, Defence, Internal Security and Courts. He has been associated with the Indian Express since July 2010.

Sushant has extensively reported on law and order issues of Pune and surrounding area, Cyber crime, narcotics trade and terrorism. His coverage in the Defence beat includes operational aspects of the three services, the defence research and development and issues related to key defence establishments. He has covered several sensitive cases in the courts at Pune.

Sushant is an avid photographer, plays harmonica and loves cooking. ... Read More

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