Armenia said to be interested in acquiring Indian Pinaka rocket systemAugust 25, 2018 - 11:44 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - Armenia has expressed interest in obtaining the Pinaka rocket system developed by India's Armament Research and Development Establishment (ARDE), which is a laboratory under the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), Times of India reports. KM Rajan, the director of the laboratory, said on Friday, August 24: “Armenia has shown an interest in the Pinaka rocket system and so we carried out extensive firing trials for their delegation last month at Pokhran in Rajasthan. The results were excellent. Since it is a government-to-government decision, we are yet to receive word about an official agreement of the procurement. Armenia is interested in both versions of the rocket.” Several foreign delegations, including Armenia, had visited the defence expo at Chennai this year. “Southeast Asian countries have also expressed an interest in the Pinaka system, but they are yet to officially approach the Indian government,” said a senior scientist of the ARDE. The Pinaka is an indigenous unguided rocket system which has been undergoing elaborate tests for the last 20 years and is capable of neutralizing large areas with rapid salvos. The Indian army extensively used the systems during the Kargil war. The laboratory is all set to carry out technical trials of the newly developed guided Pinaka missile, which has a range of up to 80km, at Pokhran and Balasore in Odisha next month. “We will check the accuracy and range capabilities at the Pokhran and Balasore facilities. During these trials, our focus will be on achieving pinpoint targeting, which is an essential requirement. Thereafter, the army will carry out its own trials of the rocket before accepting the system,” said Rajan, adding that the DRDO plans to operationalize the new version by 2020. Top stories The number of state universities will be reduced from 23 to 8 by 2030, Minister of Education, Science, Culture and Sport Zhanna Andreasyan has said. From September 21 to November 11, a total of 2,820 Russians registered at a place of residence in Armenia, the police has said. The situation on the contact line between Karabakh and Azerbaijan was relatively stable overnight, the Defense Army says. Defense Minister Suren Papikyan has visited the southern Armenian province of Syunik, the Defense Ministry reported on March 18. Partner news | European Parliament to discuss repression in Azerbaijan The European Parliament will discuss repression of civil society in Azerbaijan on April 24 PACE wants concessions from Azerbaijan to accept Baku back A PACE co-rapporteur said that Azerbaijani authorities must make certain concessions so that the country can return to PACE. Cyprus parliament honors Armenian genocide victims Acting House President Zacharias Koulias noted that April 24 marks the “black anniversary” of the Armenian genocide. Armenia PM, France envoy discuss regional matters Issues related to the consistent development of Armenia-France cooperation were discussed. |