Defence Minister Rajnath Singh has hailed the successful flight-test of India's indigenously developed Pralay missile as "another significant milestone in strengthening India's indigenous defence capabilities".

The Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) carried out the user evaluation trial of the missile at approximately 1110 hrs on 5 November 2026 from Dr APJ Abdul Kalam Island off the coast of Odisha.

According to DRDO, the trial successfully achieved all stipulated objectives. Data collected through a range of tracking and monitoring instruments confirmed the missile's performance during the test.

Sharing the development on X, Singh stated: "DRDO successfully conducted the flight test of the indigenously developed Pralay Missile off the coast of Odisha today at 1110 hrs.

The test was conducted as part of user evaluation trials and successfully met all the stipulated objectives, as validated by data captured through various range instruments.

This successful trial marks another significant milestone in strengthening India’s indigenous defence capabilities."

The Pralay missile has been developed entirely within India by Research Centre Imarat in Hyderabad in collaboration with several other DRDO laboratories. The system was manufactured by Bharat Dynamics Limited, one of the key development-cum-production partners involved in the project.

Senior DRDO officials, representatives from the defence industry and personnel from the Indian Armed Forces were present during the test. The successful completion of the user evaluation trial is expected to accelerate the missile's induction into service, with deployment now appearing imminent.

Pralay is a short-range, canisterised, solid-propellant quasi-ballistic missile designed to provide the Armed Forces with a highly mobile and precision-strike capability. Unlike conventional ballistic missiles that follow a largely predictable flight path, Pralay can fly on a lower trajectory and manoeuvre during flight, making interception by hostile air-defence systems considerably more challenging.

The missile's operational range varies between 150 km and 500 km, depending on the weight of its warhead. It can deliver a 1,000 kg payload to a distance of up to 350 km, while a lighter 500 kg payload enables engagement of targets at its maximum range of 500 km.

Designed for rapid deployment, the missile is launched from a mobile canisterised launcher, enhancing survivability and operational flexibility on the battlefield. It is equipped with advanced inertial navigation and guidance technologies that enable highly accurate strikes against high-value targets such as radar installations, command and control centres, airfields and other strategic military infrastructure.

The Pralay project forms part of India's wider effort to expand its indigenous missile inventory and reduce dependence on imported defence systems.

The weapon is intended to provide a conventional precision-strike option capable of responding swiftly to emerging threats while strengthening the country's deterrence and battlefield capabilities.

Agencies