Developed indigenously for Army applications, these rockets can destroy targets up to 40 km

The Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) has successfully test fired enhanced range versions of the 122mm Caliber Rocket.

The 122mm Caliber Rockets have been developed indigenously for Army applications and can destroy targets up to 40 km.

They were fired from a Multi-Barrel Rocket Launcher (MBRL) at the Integrated Test Range (ITR), Chandipur off the coast of Odisha on Friday.

Announcing the development, the Ministry of Defence said the enhanced range version of 122mm rockets were test fired with full instrumentation and they met the complete mission objectives.

All the flight articles were tracked by Range instruments, including Telemetry, Radar and Electro Optical Tracking System deployed by ITR and Proof and Experimental Establishment (PXE).

This enhanced rocket system will replace the existing 122mm Grad rockets,.the ministry said.

The rocket systems have been developed jointly by Pune-based Armament Research and Development Establishment (ARDE) and High Energy Materials Research Laboratory (HEMRL) with manufacturing support from M/s Economic Explosives Limited, Nagpur.

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh congratulated DRDO and the defence industry on the successful launch of the rockets. Secretary, Department of Defence R&D and Chairman DRDO G Satheesh Reddy also commended the efforts of the teams involved in the successful trials.