Defence Research & Development Organisation (DRDO) conducts a successful flight test of the Pinaka Long Range Guided Rocket at the Integrated Test Range (ITR) at , in Balasore

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Strengthening the country’s firepower capabilities, Defence Research & Development Organisation (DRDO) conducted a successful flight-test of Pinaka Long Range Guided Rocket (LRGR) at the Integrated Test Range, Chandipur, demonstrating its enhanced reach to hit target at a minimum range of 60 km.The original Pinaka Mark-I rockets have a range of about 38 km to 40 km. Demonstrating all in-flight manoeuvres as planned, the LRGR impacted on the target with textbook precision exactly following the predicted trajectory, the Ministry of Defence said in a statement on Wednesday. All the deployed range instruments tracked the flight throughout its trajectory, the Ministry added.Pinaka’s single battery of six launchers can fire 72 rockets in about 44 seconds.The Pinaka LRGR rocket is designed by Armament Research and Development Establishment in association with High Energy Materials Research Laboratory, with support from Defence Research and Development Laboratory and Research Centre Imarat. The flight-trial was coordinated by ITR and Proof & Experimental Establishment.The successful test from an in-service Pinaka launcher highlights the system’s adaptability, confirming its capability to fire multiple rocket variants across varying operational ranges from a single platform.The Army currently operates seven Pinaka regiments, with an eighth slated for induction into the service by the end of 2026. The Pinaka system has also been exported to Armenia and some other countries have also expressed interest in the stand off weapon.Published on July 8, 2026