NEW DELHI: The defence ministry on Thursday inked contracts worth Rs 10,147 crore with state-owned Munitions India Limited and private sector company Economic Explosive Limited, part of the Nagpur-based Solar Group, to supply lethal ammunition for the indigenous Pinaka multi-launch artillery rocket systems of the Army.
The deals are for high-explosive pre-fragmented extended rockets for about Rs 5,700 crore and area denial munitions for around Rs 4,500 crore, which will cater for the 10 Pinaka regiments already ordered by the over 11-lakh strong Army, as was reported by TOI last month.
The contracts, signed in the presence of defence secretary Rajesh Kumar Singh, were cleared by the PM-headed cabinet committee on security on Jan 29. A contract for upgrades in the ‘Shakti’ software was also inked with Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL).
The high-explosive pre-fragmented rockets have an extended strike range of 45-km to “strike deep into enemy territory with precision and lethality”. The area denial munitions, which can be launched to 37-km, have the capability to saturate a target area with multiple bomblets, including anti-tank and anti-personnel minelets. “The procurements will mark a significant milestone in the modernisation of the artillery rocket regiments, bolstering the Army’s firepower by enabling precise and long-range strikes,” an official said. tnn
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