L&T Partners Indian Army to Upgrade Pinaka Rocket Systems

• L&T teams up with Indian Army to upgrade and sustain Pinaka rocket systems
• 510 ABW handles overhauls with L&T providing spares and technical support
• Initiative boosts readiness and sets a blueprint for future defence upgrades

Recently, Larsen & Toubro (L&T) declared collaboration with the Indian Army that will help in the sustenance and upgradation of the currently utilized Pinaka multi-rocket launcher systems, thus moving towards lifecycle-based maintenance for the front-line artillery platforms.  

As per the deal, the company has been awarded a supply order by the Corps of Electronics and Mechanical Engineers (EME) for the indigenous Pinaka systems' overhaul, upgrade, and obsolescence management. The project will help in both the long-term operational readiness and the modernisation of the Pinaka regiments, which are currently in service.   

The project will centre on the replacement of the obsolete parts, upgrading of critical sub-systems and continuous technical support to the Army Base Workshops, thus strengthening the public-private partnership model in the defence lifecycle management.

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The transformation and enhancement of electronics and systems at the 510 Army Base Workshop (ABW) will be done by the base itself with the help of its own skilled personnel, while L&T, being the original equipment manufacturer, will be stationed for the supply of critical spares and assistance in the system's upgrades. By doing so, a maintenance framework based on the life cycle of the equipment has been created, which is structured and more efficient than the traditional methods.

In the first phase, L&T will work alongside 510 ABW on a trial overhaul of a Pinaka launcher and battery command post. If the pilot proves successful, the Army Base Workshop will carry out the overhaul of the remaining systems, with L&T providing support in terms of technical assistance, spare parts, and quality control.

According to L&T, this kind of workflow could be a model to be followed for life cycle management of other defense platforms and might communicate India's vision of Aatmanirbhar Bharat with a defense ecosystem that is self-reliant.

L&T, which has been a partner of the Defence Research and Development Organisation and the Indian Army for a long time, considers this new campaign a victory in industry-Army collaboration regarding the sustenance and modernization of defence.