India's PINAKA Vs US' HIMARS: Is India's homegrown rocket launcher system BETTER than NATO's long-range...? Here's how they...
How does India's PINAKA stack up against US-made HIMARS?. Is the Indian made system at par or even better in some aspects when compared to its American counterpart? Let's find out.
Pinaka Mk-1 (L) vs HIMARS (R). (File)
France has reportedly expressed interest in acquiring India's indigenously built Pinaka Multi-Barrel Rocket Launcher System (MBRLS), which New Delhi has often touted as being at pat with US-made HIMARS, the long-range artillery rocket system primarily used by NATO countries in armed conflicts across the world, including in the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war.
But how does India's PINAKA stack up against HIMARS?. Is the Indian made system at par or even better in some aspects when compared to its American counterpart? Let's find out.
HIMARS
The High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems or HIMARS -- which has been extensively used by Ukraine on the frontlines of its raging war with Russia -- is mobile artillery launcher loaded onto a medium-sized tactical truck, with six 227-millimeter GPS-guided rockets, boasting a range of over 69 km.
Each 13-foot long rocket, known as Guided Multiple Launch Rocket System (GMLRS), carries a 200-pound warhead, and uses GPS to enable precise strike ability within 16 feet of the intended target. The tactical missile range of HIMARS, according to Lockheed Martin, is 69 to over 500 km, which includes the GMLRS, which has a range of 69 km.
The system's Extended-Range Guided MLRS (ER GMLRS) has a range of 150 km, the Army Tactical Missile System (ATACMS) has a range of 300 km, while the Precision Strike Missile (PrSM) boasts a range of 499 km+, as per the weapons manufacturer. The high mobility of the HIMARS provides "shoot and scoot" capability to avoid counter-battery fire, making it a perfect choice in long-range artillery warfare.
According to the Pentagon, the US has sent at least 40 HIMARS to Ukraine since June 2022, when Ukrainian forces claimed to have struck over 100 "high-value" Russian military targets using these systems. Alternatively, Russia has claimed to have destroyed six HIMARS systems in counter fire.
Owing to its proven effectiveness on the battlefield, the US has sold HIMARS to several ally nations such as United Arab Emirates (UAE), Jordan, Australia, Singapore, Norway. with Lockheed Martin revealing that it has delivered over 400 HIMARS launchers to the Army, Marine Corps, and international customers.
PINAKA
Named after Hindu god Lord Shiva's divine bow, the Pinaka Mk-1 is a Multi-Barrel Rocket Launcher System (MBRLS), boasting a range of 38 km, quick response time, and a high fire rate, with a single system capable of firing 12 rockets in a mere 44 seconds, while a battery of Pinakas can rain down 72 rockets in quick time.
Each 214mm bore Pinaka Mk-1 carries a 100kg warhead, with a single battery capable of delivering a devastating 7.2 tons of payload. The Pinaka system, akin to HIMARS offers "shoot and scoot" capability, making it very difficult to neutralize with anti-artillery weaponry as it is able to disappear after raining down rockets at an insane fire rate.
The Pinaka rocket system, designed by the India's Defense Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), is deployed along India's hostile borders with China and Pakistan.
It was first deployed during the 1999 India-Pakistan war in Kargil and successfully neutralized Pakistani positions on mountain tops in the Himalayas.
The MSP of Pinaka system is its high fire rate and the ability to quickly relocate to another position on the battlefield, making difficult for enemy weaponry to take it down. A single Pinaka MBRL system has six launcher vehicles, each equipped with 12 rockets, six loader-replenishment vehicles, two command post vehicles integrated with a fire control computer, and a DIGICORA MET radar.
In 2022, India test fired the Pinaka-ER rockets, which have an enhanced range of 45 km, compared to to the original Pinaka Mk-1's 38 km range. Additionally, the DRDO is developing the Pinaka Mk-II, an enhanced guided version of the original, which has a range of 75 km, which is planned to be increased to 200 km in the near future.
Head-to-Head: PINAKA vs HIMARS
One significant area where the HIMARS clearly outperforms PINAKA, is its long-range ability, with its Precision Strike Missile (PrSM) boasting an effective range of around 499 km.
Apart from its range, HIMARS has higher accuracy on paper due its guided 227 mm rockets, as opposed to Pinaka's free-flight mode of launches. HIMARS' GPS integration means its rockets would have higher accuracy compared to Pinaka MK-1.
Both systems carry warheads of around 100 kilos, (91 kg in case of HIMARS), and also seem at par with respect to mobility and the "shoot and scoot" capability.
However, Pinaka system pips HIMARS in cost as was revealed by a US State Department notification to the Congress about a HIMARS sale to Australia at a whopping $975 million ($1.529 billion) for HIMARS 22 launchers and rockets. The Indian-made system could cost comparatively less.
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