Mission achieved all objectives including enhancing range, accuracy and sub-system functionality | Photo from Twitter/Livefist

Upgraded version of Pinaka guided rocket system successfully test-fired from base on Odisha coast on December 19. The flight of the Pinaka guided rocket was successfully tested from Integrated Test Range, Chandipur, off the Odisha coast.

Pinaka is an artillery missile system capable of striking into an enemy territory up to a range of 75 km with high precision.

The Pinaka Mk-II rocket is modified as a missile by integrating with the navigation, control and guidance system to improve the end accuracy and enhance the range.

The navigation system of the missile is also aided by the Indian Regional Navigation Satellite System (IRNSS) also called as NAVIC.

The mission achieved all the objectives including enhancing the range, accuracy and sub-system functionality.

The missile was fired from Pinaka launcher system in deployment configuration.

The flight article was tracked by multiple range systems viz telemetry, radars, electro-optical targeting system (EOTS), etc, which confirmed the textbook flight performance.

The missile system has been jointly developed by various Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) laboratories viz Armament Research and Development Establishment (ARDE), Research Centre Imarat (RCI), Defence Research and Development Laboratory (DRDL), Proof & Experimental Establishment (PXE) and High Energy Materials Research Laboratory (HEMRL).

The trial was conducted under the supervision of Director RCI BHVS Narayana Murthy, Director ARDE Dr V Venkateswara Rao, Director ITR Dr BK Das, and Director PXE Shri DK Joshi.

Secretary DDR&D and Chairman DRDO Dr G Satheesh Reddy congratulated the teams involved in the flight trial.