Article Posted on : - Jan 13, 2017

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BALASORE, ODISHA (PTI): Guided Pinaka, which has been upgraded from Pinaka Rocket, was on Thursday successfully test fired from the Integrated Test Range at Chandipur near here.

The Pinaka Rocket Mark-II, which evolved from Pinaka Mark-I, is equipped with a navigation, guidance and control kit and has been transformed to a Guided Pinaka.

The test firing was conducted from Launch Complex-III of ITR, defence sources said.

The conversion considerably enhanced the range and accuracy of Pinaka. The test firing had met all mission objectives, they said.

The radars, electro-optical and telemetry systems at Chandipur tracked and monitored the vehicle all through the flight-path.

The Guided Pinaka is developed jointly by ARDE Pune, RCI Hyderabad and DRDL Hyderabad. ITR Chandipur provided the range and launch support, sources said.

K M Rajan, Director ARDE (Armament Research and Development Establishment), Pune, B H V S Narayana Murthy, Director, RCI, Hyderabad, B K Das, Director of ITR, Chandipur and R Appavuraj, Director, Proof and Experimental Establishment (PXE), Chandipur monitored the launch operations.

An Armed Forces team witnessed the flight test AS G Satheesh Reddy, Scientific Advisor to the Defence Minister, was present during the test firing, they said.

Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar has congratulated the DRDO, industry and the Armed Forces for the successful flight-test, a release said.

P K Mehta, DG (ACE) and S Christopher, Secretary, Department of Defence R&D and Chairman, DRDO, also congratulated the teams that participated in the successful test firing.