New Delhi: India is close to adding a new deep-strike weapon to its armed forces after successfully test-firing the Pralay quasi-ballistic missile from the Odisha coast on Thursday. The launch was part of user trials, the final stage before the missile is formally inducted into service.
The test took place from Dr APJ Abdul Kalam Island, off Odisha. The Defence Research and Development Organisation said the missile met all the targets set for the trial. Instruments at the Integrated Test Range in Chandipur tracked its flight and confirmed its performance.
“With this successful test, the induction of the system has become imminent,” DRDO said after the launch. “All the test objectives were fully met.”
Defence minister Rajnath Singh said the missile’s modern technology would help the armed forces stay better prepared for new kinds of threats, as reported by The New Indian Express.
The launch was part of user trials, the last stage before the missile joins the armed forces. While developmental tests prove that a weapon works, user trials are carried out with the military to see if it meets their real battlefield needs.
Harder To Intercept
Pralay’s main strength is its flight path. A normal ballistic missile flies high and comes down in a predictable curve, making it easier for enemy radars to follow and interceptors to hit. Pralay is different. It is a two-stage, solid-fuelled missile that flies lower and on a flatter path. It can also change direction during flight, making it harder for air-defence systems to track or stop.
Because it combines the speed of a ballistic missile with the ability to move in mid-air, it is called a “quasi-ballistic” missile.
The missile can carry conventional warheads weighing 350 kg to 1,000 kg. These include runway-denial and penetration-cum-blast warheads. This makes Pralay useful for attacking enemy airbases, runways, and other important military targets. It was developed with China’s Dongfeng-12 missiles in mind.
Pralay was first tested in December 2021. It later went through user trials at its longest and shortest ranges in July last year. In December, two missiles were fired one after another from a single launcher.
State-run Bharat Dynamics Ltd, one of DRDO’s development and production partners, is making the missile. The defence ministry has already approved 120 Pralay missiles for the Air Force and a regiment for the Army.
