Bengaluru: Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who was on a 3-day visit to Paris, on Wednesday invited the French Army to take a closer look at the Pinaka MBRL (multi-barrel rocket launcher).During his meeting with French President Emmanuel Macron, acquisition Modi emphasised that the of the Pinaka system by France would be another milestone in Indo-French defence ties. Modi visited France for the sixth time since becoming the prime minister in 2014, underscoring the growing bilateral ties between the two nations.In November 2024, a top French Army officer, who was in India, had stated that: “We are evaluating the Pinaka multi-barrel rocket launcher system because we need a system like that.”“We are evaluating it among the other systems offered by the highest countries offering such systems. India is among the leading countries producing weapons,” Brigadier General Richou had said then.Also Read: EXCLUSIVE! Eye on China, Indian Army is raising two more Pinaka regiments along LACThe Pinaka MBRLs, a 214-mm multi-barrel rocket launch system, are being built by Bharat Earth Movers Limited (BEML), Tata Power Company Limited and Larsen & Toubro (L&T) for the Indian Army. Currently, Indian Army has four regiments of Pinaka MBRL. One regiment comprises of three batteries of six Pinaka launchers. In 44 seconds, a battery of six Pinaka launchers can fire a salvo of 72 rockets. Having a range of 75 kilometers, the Pinaka has multiple variants which make it a versatile and powerful tool for modern artillery operations. It is equipped with quick response capabilities and relatively high pointing accuracy. It can efficiently engage time-sensitive enemy targets within a short timeframe.Last year, India delivered an order of four Pinaka batteries worth Rs 2,000 crore to Armenia.Apart from France, countries like Indonesia and Nigeria have also evinced interest in Pinaka.Also Read: DRDO successfully conducts flight tests of guided Pinaka Rocket System with 75-km range [WATCH]