IIT Madras Ramjet Upgrade to Double BM-21 Grad, Pinaka Range
IIT Madras to integrate ramjet technology into BM-21 Grad and Pinaka rockets, doubling their range and boosting India’s indigenous, cost-effective artillery firepower.
IIT Madras will start working on the incorporation of ramjet technology within the already available BM-21 Grad and Pinaka rocket launchers in the Indian Army that would potentially see their range increase twofold. This is one of the larger attempts to improve the firepower of the army with locally developed solutions.
Project Details
The project will increase the mission of the current artillery rockets significantly without the need to have new launch platforms. It will first target the Russian-made BM-21 Grad and the locally made Pinaka. The range of BM-21 Grad should be increased to a potential of 40 km to 80 km, and Pinaka (extended-range variant) is supposed to be from approximately 120 km to 250 km. It is planned to test it in March 2026, and the validation is expected to be completed by the end of 2028.
Ramjet engine uses forward motion of the vehicle to force this air into the engine to carry the process of combustion, as opposed to having mechanical compressors, as found in traditional engines. This gives it a long impulse enabling the rocket to continue moving and cover a greater range. Ramjets are more economical when travelling long distances in the atmosphere because they burn atmospheric oxygen. The technology provides a cost effective method of updating the current systems and expanding their scope. This project is based on the previous achievement of the IIT Madras with the 155 mm artillery shells that were powered by the ramjet and demonstrated a range increase up to 50 percent in tests.
Reason for selection of Ramjit of IIT Madras
Rajjit of the IIT Madras was chosen because of the following reasons. The creation of ramjet in IIT Madras targeted the Indian Army rockets and artillery shells, mainly to ensure that the country has an inexpensive, in-house technology that will provide a much-needed boost to the range of the already available weapon systems without requiring a new platform or other expensive missiles. The major justifications behind such attention are:
Cost-Effectiveness: Ramjet-powered munitions provide the ability to strike in the long distance at a fraction of the cost of development and acquisition of new, long-range missile systems.
Modification of Existing Inventory: The technology will be able to coexist with current artillery guns and rocket launchers (such as the BM-21 Grad and Pinaka) without significant changes in the structure or the need to have completely new platforms.
Improved Strategic Capability: Extending the range enables the units to attack deeper enemy territory and conduct operations with greater safety and continues to provide the flexibility, survivability, and deterrence to the battlefield.
Sustained Propulsion: In comparison to traditional shells or simple rocket-assisted projectiles that decelerate after the initial acceleration, a ramjet engine gives a sustained thrust all the way through flight, so that the shell will still be moving at the same speed and strength and with the same destructive power over a greater range.
Congruence with "Atmanirbhar Bharat): This is an indigenous development that the Indian government has endeavoured toward and has made self-reliance in their defence sector, lessening the reliance on the foreign supplier, and developing local defence industrial base.
Proven Success: Ramjet-assisted 155 mm artillery shells had already been developed and tested successfully by IIT Madras, demonstrating a 30-50 per cent range increase in experiments with different gun systems (e.g., ATAGS, Dhanush, K9 Vajra), which confirmed the basic idea of application in rockets too.
Essentially, the move is to narrow this gap between the conventional short range artillery and the costly long range missiles, which provide a powerful and viable answer to the modern requirements in the battle field.
The project of introducing ramjet technology into the Indian Army rockets is only starting as of January 22, 2026, the first test of the BM-21 Grad system should be tested in March 2026. The rocket systems are aiming at full operational validation by the year 2028.
Key Status Updates
Rocket Integration: Indian Army and IIT Madras will begin the integration and testing phase of the rocket engines of the Russian-origin BM-21 Grad and Indian Pinaka rocket launchers.
Extension of the range: It is estimated that this technology will increase the range of the BM-21 Grad rockets by a factor of two (around 40 km to 80 km), and will also increase the range of the Pinaka by a staggering 250km, which was previously estimated at 120km (120km).
Previous Artillery Shells Success: The project has been preceded by the completion of successful tests involving ramjet-assisted 155 mm artillery shells which proved to increase the range of various guns such as the ATAGS, Dhanush and K9 Vajra by between 30-50 percent. These tests managed to prove the essence of the concept of ramjet that could be used in gun systems.
Timeframe: The first one is the Grad system, and Pinaka upgrade will come after the Grad is tested.
Strategic Objective: The project is a major element of the Indian self-reliant India (Atmanirbhar Bharat) defence programme, which will be used to offer and offer cost-effective long-range local firepower.
