In a major boost to India’s Aatmanirbhar Bharat initiative, the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) conducted two consecutive successful flight tests of the Pralay missile. The flight tests were carried out from Dr APJ Abdul Kalam Island, off the coast of Odisha, on Monday and Tuesday as part of User Evaluation Trials to validate the maximum and minimum range capabilities of the missile system.
“The missiles precisely followed the intended trajectory and reached the target point with pin-point accuracy, meeting all the test objectives. All subsystems performed as expected, which was verified using test data captured by various tracking sensors deployed by the Integrated Test Range (ITR), including instruments deployed on a ship positioned near the designated impact point,” the Ministry of Defence (MoD) said in a statement.
Notably, Pralay is an indigenously developed solid-propellant quasi-ballistic missile, employing state-of-the-art guidance and navigation systems to ensure high precision. It is capable of carrying multiple types of warheads against various targets.
“The system has been developed by Research Centre Imarat in collaboration with other DRDO labs — Defence Research & Development Laboratory, Advanced Systems Laboratory, Armament Research & Development Establishment, High Energy Materials Research Laboratory, Defence Metallurgical Research Laboratory, Terminal Ballistics Research Laboratory, Research & Development Establishment (Engineers), ITR, and others; along with industry partners — Bharat Dynamics Limited, Bharat Electronics Limited, and several other industries and MSMEs,” the ministry said.
Senior scientists of DRDO, representatives of the Indian Air Force and Indian Army, as well as industry representatives, witnessed the flight tests.
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh complimented DRDO, the Armed Forces, and the industry for the successful flight tests. He stated that the missile, equipped with modern technologies, will provide a significant technological boost to the Armed Forces against emerging threats.
Secretary, Department of Defence R&D and DRDO Chairman Dr Samir V Kamat congratulated the teams, stating that the successful completion of this Phase-1 flight testing paves the way for induction of the system into the Armed Forces in the near future.
Key Features of Pralay Missile
- Type: Short-range, surface-to-surface tactical ballistic missile
- Developer: DRDO (Defence Research and Development Organisation), India
- Range: 150–500 km (upgradeable up to ~700 km)
- Warhead:
- Conventional (High Explosive, Fragmentation, Penetrator)
- Warhead weight: 350–700 kg
- Speed: Supersonic (terminal phase exceeds Mach 5)
- Propulsion: Solid-fuel rocket motor (quick launch capability)
- Guidance:
- Inertial Navigation System (INS)
- GPS for enhanced accuracy
- Accuracy: Circular Error Probable (CEP) less than 10 meters
- Launch Platform: Road-mobile Transporter Erector Launcher (TEL)
- Trajectory: Quasi-ballistic
- Capable of terminal maneuvering
- Steep dive capability to evade missile defense systems
- Reentry Vehicle: Maneuverable Reentry Vehicle (MaRV) for enhanced precision and survivability
- Stealth Features:
- Low radar cross-section
- Designed to evade interception
- Strategic Role:
- Quick-reaction tactical strike capability
- Intended targets: Airbases, command centres, radar sites, logistics hubs
- Counter to Pakistan’s Nasr missile
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