SOURCE: RAUNAK KUNDE / NEWS BEAT / IDRW.ORG
France’s ambition to develop a homegrown alternative to the U.S. High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS) has cast a shadow over India’s hopes of exporting its Pinaka Multi-Barrel Rocket Launcher System (MBRLS) to the European nation. Reports indicate that France’s Directorate General for Armament (DGA) is prioritizing a domestically developed rocket artillery system, with plans to conduct a demonstration firing by mid-2026, effectively sidelining earlier interest in India’s battle-proven Pinaka. This move not only underscores France’s push for defense sovereignty but also aims to offer European allies a viable alternative to American systems.
The Pinaka, developed by India’s Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), had garnered attention from France following a demonstration for French Army officials, including Brigadier General Stephane Richou, during a visit to India in 2024. The system, with a range of up to 90 km for its Mark-II ER variant and a rapid salvo capability of 12 rockets in 44 seconds, was pitched as a cost-effective rival to HIMARS, which costs significantly more—evidenced by a $975 million deal for 22 launchers to Australia. France’s interest peaked in early 2025, with reports of advanced talks and Prime Minister Narendra Modi reportedly offering the system during discussions with President Emmanuel Macron.
However, France’s strategic pivot toward a sovereign solution has dimmed prospects for a Pinaka deal. The DGA has tasked two industrial consortiums—Safran with MBDA, and Thales with ArianeGroup—to develop a tactical strike system under the Frappe Longue Portée Terrestre (FLP-T) program, with a baseline range of 150 km. The Safran-MBDA team unveiled a mock-up of their Thundart 227 mm long-range guided rocket at the Eurosatory defense exhibition in June 2024, boasting pinpoint accuracy, according to MBDA’s head of land combat systems, Matthieu Krouri. The Thundart system, designed with mature subsystems and free from U.S. export restrictions, is positioned as a purely European solution, with a test firing scheduled for mid-2026.
France’s decision is driven by the urgent need to replace its nine aging Lance-Roquettes Unitaire (LRU) systems, modified M270 MLRS units set to retire by 2027. General Pierre Schill, French Army Chief of Staff, emphasized the “essential” role of long-range strike capabilities in modern warfare, a lesson reinforced by HIMARS’ devastating impact in Ukraine. With only €600 million allocated for FLP-T through 2030, aiming for 13 systems initially and 26 by 2035, France faces pressure to deliver on time. The DGA has kept foreign options open, including HIMARS, Israel’s PULS, or South Korea’s Chunmoo, but domestic development is favored to avoid reliance on overstretched U.S. production lines, which may delay HIMARS deliveries beyond 2027.
The apparent collapse of the Pinaka deal is a setback for India’s defense export ambitions under the Make in India initiative. The system has proven its mettle in the 1999 Kargil War and along India’s borders with China and Pakistan, with Armenia becoming its first export customer in 2022 for $250 million. France’s earlier evaluation, which included plans for a special mission to assess Pinaka’s launcher and ammunition, had raised hopes of a historic sale—marking the first time India would supply weapons to its second-largest arms supplier. Yet, France’s commitment to a European ecosystem and skepticism about integrating non-NATO systems likely tipped the scales.
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