India Develops 400 km Pinaka Rockets to Counter Pakistan Fatah II Missile Firepower
{loadposition bannertop}
{loadposition sidebarpub}
Pakistan has begun fielding the Fatah II guided multiple-launch rocket system, reportedly able to reach about 400 kilometers with high precision. India should accelerate the development of long-range Pinaka variants (Mk5/Mk6) to regain deep-strike parity and improve counterbattery options without escalating to ballistic missile use.
According to an analysis published by IDRW on November 4, 2025, Pakistan began fielding the Fatah II guided multiple launch rocket system with a claimed reach of 400 km and sub-10 m circular error probable. The media argues that India should fast-track long-range Pinaka variants labeled Mk5 and Mk6 to restore deep strike parity along the western front. This assessment aligns with Indian Army modernization priorities that emphasize precision fires able to neutralize mobile launchers, logistics nodes, and command hubs without escalating to ballistic missile employment.Follow Army Recognition on Google News at this link
Pinaka MLRS currently delivers precision fires to about 75 km, with Mk5/Mk6 variants planned to extend that reach to 400-500 km for deep-strike and counter-battery missions (Picture source: Indian MoD).
Fatah II is a 300 mm class precision rocket fired from a compact two-tube launcher using inertial and satellite navigation for midcourse correction. At 400 km, the system can hold at risk Indian fuel farms, ammunition depots, and air base infrastructure across Punjab and Rajasthan while remaining deep inside Pakistani territory. The affordability of precision rockets compared with ballistic missiles, and the ease of shoot-and-scoot tactics, pose a real challenge for Indian point defenses optimized for shorter-range salvos and air threats.
India’s current rocket artillery tier is designed around Pinaka batteries with guided and extended-range rockets providing roughly 45 to 75 km, reinforced by Russian-origin BM-30 Smerch in the 90 km class, and a layered air defense network that includes Akash and the medium-range surface-to-air missile operated by the Indian Air Force. These systems can intercept some incoming rockets, but the operational problem is distance and time. A launcher firing from several hundred kilometers away exposes itself for only minutes, then disappears into pre-surveyed hides or urban clutter. Countering the arrow alone is not enough: India needs reliable ways to find and rapidly strike the archer.
This is where the proposed Pinaka Mk5 and Mk6 matter. A guided rocket family of 400 to 500 km with modular warheads, INS/GPS midcourse updates, and a terminal seeker for endgame refinement would give the Army range parity at a significantly lower cost per shot than a ballistic missile. The accuracy objective is to push CEP into the single-digit meter band so a unitary warhead can neutralize a launcher, a reload truck, or a small command post without area bombardment. In practical terms, such a capability shortens the time from detection to destruction. Space-based and airborne ISR, weapon locating radars such as Swathi, and ground electronic support can cue deep fires that arrive in minutes rather than hours, forcing Fatah II crews to survive under continuous precision pressure.
Neutralization is a combined chain rather than a single intercept. Longer-range Pinaka rounds would interdict pre-surveyed firing points, ammo caches, and choke points leading to launch areas, while air defenses attrit any rockets that do make it into the air. Traditional Pinaka and Smerch batteries finish the counterbattery battle within 100 km of the Line of Control. The presence of 400 to 500 km rockets also enables preemptive denial of rearm and staging sites, shrinking the adversary’s magazine depth and reducing the tempo of salvos before they build to damaging density.
A frequent question is why these longer-range Pinakas are not already in service. The answer is a mix of technology readiness, doctrine, and acquisition sequencing. Extending the range by a factor of five over the current guided Pinaka requires a higher-energy solid motor, improved grain geometry, and robust guidance that survives a long time of flight and thermal loads. Terminal seekers must remain affordable and export control proof, which drives an indigenous electronics supply chain. On doctrine, a 500 km rocket blurs lines between Army rocket artillery and the Pralay short-range ballistic missile program, which can reach comparable ranges. Target ownership, rules of engagement, and escalation thresholds must be codified so deep fires artillery complements rather than competes with missile forces. On the procurement side, Ministry of Defence approvals through the Defence Acquisition Council and productionization under Make in India policies require new tooling, insensitive munitions compliance, and sustained vendor capacity before large orders move.
The broader context is a South Asia crisis environment transformed since the 2019 Balakot episode, where both sides learned that precision conventional fires can deliver political effect below the nuclear threshold. Pakistan’s pursuit of Fatah II fits its full-spectrum deterrence posture that seeks to offset Indian conventional dominance with affordable precision and rapid salvo generation. India’s counter is a portfolio approach. DRDO’s guided and extended range Pinaka work has already delivered stable 45 to 75 km performance in trials, providing the software, fusing, and manufacturing base for the next leap. The logical progression is Mk5 in the 400 km class and Mk6 at 500 km plus, integrated with the Army’s artillery rationalisation plan, theatre command reforms, and Integrated Battle Groups to ensure targets are found, fixed, and finished quickly.
The key milestones are Defence Acquisition Council acceptance of the necessity for an extended range guided rocket family, a seeker selection with domestic content high enough to avoid supply shocks, and a flight test campaign that demonstrates repeatable accuracy against relocatable targets. If those align in the next budget cycle, initial trials could begin within two years, setting conditions for battery-level fielding later in the decade. Export demand would likely follow among partners operating Pinaka today once economies of scale are achieved. A long-range Pinaka tier restores deterrence by denial at a cost and salvo rate that ballistic missiles cannot match. It gives Indian commanders the precision and reach to hunt Fatah II batteries in depth while India’s air defense layers manage what leaks through.
{loadposition bannertop}
{loadposition sidebarpub}
Pakistan has begun fielding the Fatah II guided multiple-launch rocket system, reportedly able to reach about 400 kilometers with high precision. India should accelerate the development of long-range Pinaka variants (Mk5/Mk6) to regain deep-strike parity and improve counterbattery options without escalating to ballistic missile use.
According to an analysis published by IDRW on November 4, 2025, Pakistan began fielding the Fatah II guided multiple launch rocket system with a claimed reach of 400 km and sub-10 m circular error probable. The media argues that India should fast-track long-range Pinaka variants labeled Mk5 and Mk6 to restore deep strike parity along the western front. This assessment aligns with Indian Army modernization priorities that emphasize precision fires able to neutralize mobile launchers, logistics nodes, and command hubs without escalating to ballistic missile employment.
Follow Army Recognition on Google News at this link
Pinaka MLRS currently delivers precision fires to about 75 km, with Mk5/Mk6 variants planned to extend that reach to 400-500 km for deep-strike and counter-battery missions (Picture source: Indian MoD).
Fatah II is a 300 mm class precision rocket fired from a compact two-tube launcher using inertial and satellite navigation for midcourse correction. At 400 km, the system can hold at risk Indian fuel farms, ammunition depots, and air base infrastructure across Punjab and Rajasthan while remaining deep inside Pakistani territory. The affordability of precision rockets compared with ballistic missiles, and the ease of shoot-and-scoot tactics, pose a real challenge for Indian point defenses optimized for shorter-range salvos and air threats.
India’s current rocket artillery tier is designed around Pinaka batteries with guided and extended-range rockets providing roughly 45 to 75 km, reinforced by Russian-origin BM-30 Smerch in the 90 km class, and a layered air defense network that includes Akash and the medium-range surface-to-air missile operated by the Indian Air Force. These systems can intercept some incoming rockets, but the operational problem is distance and time. A launcher firing from several hundred kilometers away exposes itself for only minutes, then disappears into pre-surveyed hides or urban clutter. Countering the arrow alone is not enough: India needs reliable ways to find and rapidly strike the archer.
This is where the proposed Pinaka Mk5 and Mk6 matter. A guided rocket family of 400 to 500 km with modular warheads, INS/GPS midcourse updates, and a terminal seeker for endgame refinement would give the Army range parity at a significantly lower cost per shot than a ballistic missile. The accuracy objective is to push CEP into the single-digit meter band so a unitary warhead can neutralize a launcher, a reload truck, or a small command post without area bombardment. In practical terms, such a capability shortens the time from detection to destruction. Space-based and airborne ISR, weapon locating radars such as Swathi, and ground electronic support can cue deep fires that arrive in minutes rather than hours, forcing Fatah II crews to survive under continuous precision pressure.
Neutralization is a combined chain rather than a single intercept. Longer-range Pinaka rounds would interdict pre-surveyed firing points, ammo caches, and choke points leading to launch areas, while air defenses attrit any rockets that do make it into the air. Traditional Pinaka and Smerch batteries finish the counterbattery battle within 100 km of the Line of Control. The presence of 400 to 500 km rockets also enables preemptive denial of rearm and staging sites, shrinking the adversary’s magazine depth and reducing the tempo of salvos before they build to damaging density.
A frequent question is why these longer-range Pinakas are not already in service. The answer is a mix of technology readiness, doctrine, and acquisition sequencing. Extending the range by a factor of five over the current guided Pinaka requires a higher-energy solid motor, improved grain geometry, and robust guidance that survives a long time of flight and thermal loads. Terminal seekers must remain affordable and export control proof, which drives an indigenous electronics supply chain. On doctrine, a 500 km rocket blurs lines between Army rocket artillery and the Pralay short-range ballistic missile program, which can reach comparable ranges. Target ownership, rules of engagement, and escalation thresholds must be codified so deep fires artillery complements rather than competes with missile forces. On the procurement side, Ministry of Defence approvals through the Defence Acquisition Council and productionization under Make in India policies require new tooling, insensitive munitions compliance, and sustained vendor capacity before large orders move.
The broader context is a South Asia crisis environment transformed since the 2019 Balakot episode, where both sides learned that precision conventional fires can deliver political effect below the nuclear threshold. Pakistan’s pursuit of Fatah II fits its full-spectrum deterrence posture that seeks to offset Indian conventional dominance with affordable precision and rapid salvo generation. India’s counter is a portfolio approach. DRDO’s guided and extended range Pinaka work has already delivered stable 45 to 75 km performance in trials, providing the software, fusing, and manufacturing base for the next leap. The logical progression is Mk5 in the 400 km class and Mk6 at 500 km plus, integrated with the Army’s artillery rationalisation plan, theatre command reforms, and Integrated Battle Groups to ensure targets are found, fixed, and finished quickly.
The key milestones are Defence Acquisition Council acceptance of the necessity for an extended range guided rocket family, a seeker selection with domestic content high enough to avoid supply shocks, and a flight test campaign that demonstrates repeatable accuracy against relocatable targets. If those align in the next budget cycle, initial trials could begin within two years, setting conditions for battery-level fielding later in the decade. Export demand would likely follow among partners operating Pinaka today once economies of scale are achieved. A long-range Pinaka tier restores deterrence by denial at a cost and salvo rate that ballistic missiles cannot match. It gives Indian commanders the precision and reach to hunt Fatah II batteries in depth while India’s air defense layers manage what leaks through.
