Indian Defense Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) successfully conducted a maiden flight test of indigenously developed surface-to-surface missile ‘Pralay’, from Dr. A P J Abdul Kalam Island off the coast of Odisha in December 22, 2021. The mission has met all its objectives. The new missile followed the desired quasi ballistic trajectory and reached the designated target with high degree accuracy, validating the control, guidance, and mission algorithms. All the sub-systems performed satisfactorily. All the sensors deployed near the impact point across the eastern coast, including the downrange ships, tracked the missile trajectory and captured all the events.
Pralay is a canisters surface-to-surface tactical short-range ballistic missile (SRBM) for battlefield use developed by the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO). The missile is based on Prithvi Defence Vehicle (PDV) exoatmospheric interceptor missile from Indian Ballistic Missile Defence Programme. The missile is powered by solid-propellant rocket motors and many new technologies. The missile has a range of 150-500 kilometers and can be launched from a mobile launcher. The missile guidance system includes a state-of-the-art navigation system and integrated avionics.
Raksha Mantri Shri Rajnath Singh congratulated DRDO and associated teams for this maiden development flight trial. He complimented DRDO for the fast track development and successful launch of the modern surface-to-surface missiles. Secretary Department of Defence R&D and Chairman DRDO, Dr. G Satheesh Reddy appreciated the team and said that this is a new generation surface-to-surface missile equipped with modern technologies, and induction of this weapon system will give the necessary impetus to the Armed Forces.
The Indian Army in recent times has felt the need for an SRBM with a range of around 500 km that can also carry a sizeable payload. Defense Research and Development Organisation lab Research Centre Imarat, Hyderabad is the lead integrator of this project. Pralay missile is comparable to China’s Dongfeng 12 (CSS-X-15) also known as M20 and Russian 9K720 Iskander missile. Pralay is a solid-fuel missile that follows a quasi-ballistic trajectory and can perform mid-air maneuvers using maneuverable reentry vehicles (MARV) to defeat anti-ballistic missile (ABM) interceptors. High Energy Materials Research Laboratory (HEMRL) developed the composite propellant. Pralay can carry 500 kg to 1,000 kg high explosive preformed fragmentation warhead, Penetration-Cum-Blast (PCB), and Runaway Denial Penetration Submunition (RDPS).
