ARDE of Pune develops 8 weapon systems
Nanda Dabhole Kasabe
Pune, Jan 23: Come Republic Day and India shall parade down Rajpath its very latest in conventional armaments. At least eight weapon systems, specially designed by the Pune-based Armament Research Development Establishment (ARDE), will be on display to signal their formal induction into the armed forces.The Republic Day parade will announce the arrival of the Pinaka, a multi-barrel rocket launcher system; the soldier-friendly 5.56 Indian Small Arms System (INSAS) ``which can be compared to the best in the world''; Influence Mine Adrushy, an advanced sensor integrated armour piercing mine designed to function by detecting changes in the magnetic field or seismic vibrations by a passing tank; and the 105 mm ammunition, a high velocity gun mounted on tanks. Among the weapons designed and developed by the ARDE with the aim of fulfiling the army's requirement of neutralising targets in ranges exceeding 30 km, Pinaka envisages the use of six launcher vehicles as a battery. Each launcher can fire a salvo of 12
rockets in less than 40 seconds with a range varying from a minimum of seven km to a maximum of 39 km. According to scientists who worked on Pinaka, the 214 mm free flight artillery rocket developed for this system can carry different types of warheads. Evolved as a part of the multi-disciplinary programme in association with several Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) labs, Ordnance Factory Board, the phase-I user trials were conducted in June 1997. The 5.56 INSAS rifle, which has been put through what is being called one of the most gruelling series of user and tropp trials in the history of small arms development, has been accorded bulk production clearance. So far over one lakh rifles have been produced and handed over to the army, some of which are already being used by troops in Jammu and Kashmir. Scientists maintain that the acquisition of the INSAS rifle by the Indian army is currently the largest programme in the world with a projected production run of more than one million
weapons and matching ammunition of several hundred million at a cost outlay of Rs 3,000 crore. The total value of orders from the army is expected to be around Rs 4,000 crore. The Influence Mine Adrushy, an advanced sensor integrated armour piercing mine designed for maximum concealment, has been incorporated into service after extensive user trials and is now in the stage for bulk production, scientists explained. The other important weapons for the navy include the 76.2 mm steel cartridge case and a 250 kg bomb besides a nose fuse specially designed for the Air Force.
Copyright © 1998 Indian Express Newspapers (Bombay) Ltd.
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