India's Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) has achieved a significant milestone with the successful salvo user trials of the Pralay tactical short-range ballistic missile off the Odisha coast.

Conducted on 31 December 2025 at the Integrated Test Range (ITR) in Chandipur, the trials involved two cannisterised missiles launched in quick succession from the same launcher around 10:30 am. These back-to-back tests validated the missile's reliability, paving the way for its early induction into the Indian armed forces.

The Pralay missile, weighing five tonnes, carries a one-tonne payload over 350 km, extending to 500 km with a halved payload. This solid-propellant quasi-ballistic missile employs advanced guidance and navigation systems for high precision, including mid-air manoeuvres and hit-to-kill capability.

It precisely followed intended trajectories during the trials, demonstrating maximum and minimum range performance while meeting all mission objectives.

Senior DRDO scientists, representatives from the Indian Air Force (IAF) and Indian Army, and industry partners witnessed the event.

Systems integration was handled by development-cum-production partners, with terminal events confirmed via onboard ship telemetry near impact points. Defence Minister Rajnath Singh commended DRDO, the armed forces, defence public sector undertakings, and industry for establishing the missile's salvo-launch reliability.

Developed primarily by Hyderabad's Research Centre Imarat (RCI) in collaboration with laboratories such as the Defence Research and Development Laboratory (DRDL), Advanced Systems Laboratory (ASL), Armament Research and Development Establishment (ARDE), High Energy Materials Research Laboratory (HEMRL), Defence Metallurgical Research Laboratory (DMRL), and Terminal Ballistics Research Laboratory (TBRL), Pralay draws from the Prithvi Defence Vehicle Exo-atmospheric interceptor. Sanctioned in March 2015, it has undergone developmental trials over the past two years.

Pralay forms part of India's strategic integrated rocket force under the Strategic Forces Command (SFC), focusing on conventional capabilities alongside systems like BrahMos and Pinaka. Its hypersonic quasi-ballistic trajectory, terminal manoeuvres, and potential decoy deployment enable it to evade anti-ballistic missile interceptors. With a circular error probable (CEP) under 10 metres—aiming for less than 4 metres—and a terminal speed of Mach 6.1, it features a millimetre-wave seeker in a fused silica Radome.

Comparable to China's Dong Feng-12, Russia's 9K720-Iskander, the US Precision Strike Missile (PrSM), and South Korea's Hyunmoo-2, Pralay enhances tactical strikes on enemy airbases, logistics, and command centres.

The IAF ordered 120 units in 2022, followed by the Army's 250 in 2023, with deployments planned along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) and Line of Control (LoC). Twin-launcher configurations boost salvo effectiveness in combat.

DRDO Chairman Samir V Kamat congratulated the teams, noting the system's imminent readiness for user induction. These trials underscore India's advancing indigenous missile technology, bolstering short-range precision strike capabilities amid regional security challenges.

Agencies
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