The Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) achieved a significant milestone on 31 December 2025 by successfully conducting a salvo launch of two Pralay missiles in quick succession from the same launcher off the coast of Odisha.

This flight test, performed at approximately 10:30 hrs as part of user evaluation trials, saw both missiles adhere precisely to their intended trajectories, fulfilling all objectives.

Tracking sensors from the Integrated Test Range at Chandipur, along with onboard telemetry from a ship near the impact points, confirmed the terminal events and overall success.

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh commended DRDO, the Indian Air Force, the Indian Army, Defence Public Sector Undertakings (DPSUs), and industry partners for this accomplishment, noting that it establishes the missile's reliability.

The tests were observed by senior DRDO scientists, representatives from the Indian Air Force and Army, as well as industry figures including the development-cum-production partners and Ministry of Defence officials.

Secretary of the Department of Defence R&D and DRDO Chairman Samir V Kamat congratulated the teams, emphasising that the results signal the system's imminent readiness for induction into service.

Pralay represents an indigenously developed solid-propellant quasi-ballistic surface-to-surface missile, designed for short-range tactical strikes with a range of 150 to 500 km.

It employs state-of-the-art guidance and navigation systems for high precision, including a high-definition dual-channel seeker, day-and-night operability, and a two-way data link for post-launch target updates.

The missile can carry multiple warhead types, such as anti-armour variants to neutralise modern armoured vehicles with rolled homogeneous armour and explosive reactive armour, penetration-cum-blast warheads for bunkers, and pre-fragmentation warheads for high-lethality zones.

Further enhancing its capabilities, Pralay features a quasi-ballistic trajectory with mid-air course correction, rendering it challenging for enemy air defences to intercept, and achieves a terminal speed of Mach 6.1 with a Circular Error Probable (CEP) of less than 10 metres.

Development of Pralay was led by the Research Centre Imarat (RCI) in Hyderabad, in collaboration with several DRDO laboratories including the Defence Research and Development Laboratory, Advanced Systems Laboratory, Armament Research and Development Establishment, High Energy Materials Research Laboratory, Defence Metallurgical Research Laboratory, Terminal Ballistics Research Laboratory, Research and Development Establishment (Engineers), and the Integrated Test Range.

System integration for these trials was handled by the development-cum-production partners, Bharat Dynamics Limited (BDL) and Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL), alongside contributions from other Indian industries.

This salvo launch underscores India's advancing indigenous missile technology, bolstering tactical capabilities for precision strikes against enemy command centres, airbases, and logistics hubs in battlefield scenarios.

The twin-launcher configuration, previously showcased at India's Republic Day Parade earlier in 2025, further amplifies operational effectiveness in high-intensity conflicts.

With these user trials completed successfully, Pralay edges closer to full operational deployment, enhancing India's non-nuclear deterrence posture along critical frontiers.

Agencies