Pinaka saw service during the Kargil War, where it was successful in neutralising Pakistani positions on the mountain tops.

[10][11] In April 2013, ₹1,388.80 crore (equivalent to ₹24 billion or US$270 million in 2023) was sanctioned for increasing the production capacity of Pinaka rockets from then 1,000 to 5,000 per year.

Unutilised land of the Yantra India Limited was also being considered for further capacity expansion when production of advanced variants would commence.

Israel Military Industries teamed up with DRDO to implement its Trajectory Correction System (TCS) on the Pinaka, for further improvement of its CEP.

[17][13]To decrease single source dependency from Ordnance Factory Board (OFB) and increase competition in product pricing front, final developmental trials of Pinaka manufactured fully by Indian private sector Solar Industries under Transfer of Technology agreement from DRDO were successfully conducted by Indian Army at Pokhran Range on 19 August 2020.

Another variant of Mark II called Guided Pinaka is equipped with a navigation, guidance, control kit and has considerably enhanced the range and accuracy of the missile.

The Sigma 30 artillery navigation and pointing system is designed for high-precision firing at short notice.

[1] As of September 2022, Defence Acquisition Council (DAC) has cleared the procurement proposal of induction of Guided Pinaka variant.

A 7.2-metre rocket for the Pinaka MBRL, which can reach a distance of 120 km and carry a 250 kg payload will be developed.

Integrating UAVs with the Pinaka is also in the pipeline, as DRDO intends to install guidance systems on these rockets to increase their accuracy.

It is anticipated that the range of 210–214 mm rocket will increase at 225–250 km with the addition of ramjet propulsion, all the while preserving the operational flexibility of the system.

[37][38] In February 2025, it was reported that DRDO has commenced development of Pinaka variant for naval and air force applications.

The naval variant with a range of 75 km is to be flight tested in 2025 and will have underwater applications including submarine countermeasures.

Each launcher has an individual computer which enables it to function autonomously in case it gets separated from the other five vehicles in a war.

The microprocessor on the launcher automatically executes the commands received from the FCC, giving the operator the status of the system on displays and indicators.

This mode is envisaged in the situations where the microprocessor fails or where there is no power to activate the microprocessor-based operator's console.

As of August 2024, of the total Pinaka systems in service with the Army, Tata has delivered 40 launchers and 8 Command Posts.

[84] It was reported in March 2024, that the Army plans to raise 2 more Pinaka regiments by the end of year along Line of Actual Control.

[97][98] Armenia signed a combined deal worth ₹2,000 crore (equivalent to ₹21 billion or US$245 million in 2023) for 4 Pinaka batteries and other defense equipment.

The order includes supplies of extended range and guided rocket for Pinaka system in the future.

[102][103] According to a report in 2024, some Southeast Asian and European nations has also shown interest to acquire Pinaka MBRL and Netra AEW&C.

[104] On 9 November 2024, Brigadier General Stephane Richou confirmed to Asian News International about the French Army evaluating Pinaka MBRL system for their requirement.