Indian Army might get Pinaka rockets to counter Pakistan's mini-nuclear weapons

Sources in the government revealed that the Indian Army might get its hands on Pinaka rockets to counter Pakistan's threats on using tactical nuclear weapons.

While Pakistani Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi has again flaunted his country's tactical nuclear weapons, NDA government sources said India has the option of developing the Pinaka guided rockets to match the mini-nukes of its western neighbour in the battlefield.

Abbasi said in the US this week that his country possesses tactical or battlefield nuclear weapons, which can be used to check the advance of Indian tank regiments as part of New Delhi's "cold-start war doctrine". "The Pakistanis have been flaunting their tactical nukes which they have developed with the help of the Chinese. At present, we don't have these weapons in our arsenal but if asked by the government, we have the option of developing the Pinaka guided rockets for delivering nuclear warheads at small ranges," government sources told Mail Today.

Tactical nuclear weapons include short-range missiles, artillery shells and torpedoes which are equipped with nuclear warheads. Sources said the Indian government has not yet asked the agencies concerned to develop the Pinaka guided missile to be used as a nuclear delivery weapon system.


ABOUT PINAKA ROCKETS

The Pinaka rockets have been developed by the DRDO as battlefield multi-barrel rocket launcher to take down enemy tanks and other moving targets at the strike ranges of 70 to 80km. A group of scientists from America has also said in its report that the Pakistanis have stored their tactical nukes at nine different locations across the country and mostly near the bases which have the capability to launch big nuclear missiles.

The scientists also feel that since these battlefield nukes would be distributed much in advance and in large numbers to the field fighting formations, the chances of accidents or their being transferred to other elements is also very high. The guided Pinaka has been developed by Pune-based Armament Research and Development Establishment (ARDE) and Defence Research and Development Laboratory.

Pinaka Rocket Mark-II, which has evolved from Pinaka Mark-I, is equipped with navigation, guidance and control kit, and is converted to a guided Pinaka. This conversion has led to enhancement of its strike range and considerably improved its accuracy. The rocket was fired from a multi-barrel rocket launcher (MBRL).

The rocket launcher can fire 12 rockets with 1.2 tonne of high explosives within 44 seconds and destroy a target area of four sq km at a time. The quick reaction time and high rate of fire of the system gives an edge to the Army during a low-intensity conflict situation. The weapon's capability to incorporate several types of warheads makes it deadly for the enemy as it can even destroy their solid structures and bunkers. The performance of the previous version of Pinaka was lauded during the Kargil War, where it was successful in neutralising enemy positions on mountain tops. After both India and Pakistan came out openly with their capability to produce and use nuclear weapons in 1998, New Delhi has adopted a responsible stance by declaring a 'no-first use' policy while Islamabad used its weapons to blackmail the western countries while continuing its support for international terror groups.

 indiatoday