Army boosts firepower with more Pinaka regiments along China, Pakistan borders

(Representative Image)

Amid heightened security concerns along its western and northern frontiers, the Indian Army is expanding its deployment of the indigenous Pinaka rocket system, adding another regiment and preparing to induct one more by the end of the year, Times of India reported.

With the latest operational addition, the Army now has seven Pinaka regiments deployed along the borders with Pakistan and China.

An eighth regiment is in advanced stages of readiness, having received more than half of its equipment, and is expected to become operational before the end of 2026.

The expansion is set to continue, with two more regiments likely to be inducted next year, taking the total number of deployed units to 10. In the long term, the Army aims to field 22 Pinaka regiments equipped with more advanced and longer-range variants.

In August 2020, the Army had signed contracts worth around Rs 2,580 crore with Bharat Earth Movers Limited, Tata Power SED (Currently merged with Tata Advanced Systems Ltd.), and Larsen & Toubro for the supply of six Pinaka regiments.

Developed by the Defence Research and Development Organisation, the Pinaka system is India’s flagship multi-barrel rocket launcher.

While earlier versions had a range of about 40 km, newer variants such as Guided Pinaka and Long-Range Guided Rockets can strike targets up to 120 km away, significantly enhancing the Army’s deep-strike capabilities.