Pralay: India’s newest ‘quasi-ballistic’ missile set to make Republic Day debut

Pralay, India’s newest indigenously developed land-attack missile, is set to make its public debut at Republic Day Parade in New Delhi. This short-range ballistic missile boasts a range of 500 km and can carry a payload of up to 1,000 kg, making it a formidable force on the battlefield.

Its range puts it between Prithvi, India’s first ballistic missile inducted over 30 years ago whose variants have a reach of 150-350 km, and the Agni series of intermediate range and intercontinental ballistic missiles that are capable of hitting targets from 700 to 8,000 km.

Mounted on the 8x8 transporter–erector–launcher vehicle, making it road-mobile, the missile is designed to target airfields, command and control centres, troop concentrations and radar and air defence installations and communication centres. It is roughly of the same size and weight as that of Prithvi, but a considerably longer range, giving the armed forces the flexibility to strike strategic targets deep inside enemy territory without crossing the nuclear threshold.

Pralay is also described as a “quasi-ballistic” missile. To put it simply, it functions as a ballistic missile, launched vertically and following a low trajectory hyperbolic flight trajectory from its firing point to the designated target, but has the ability of the warheads to change course or be manoeuvred in the later stages of its flight, somewhat like a cruise missile.

The missile was developed by the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) in response to specific requirements defined by the Army for a tactical battlefield weapon that gives it punitive strike capability. It can also help in evading anti-missile defence systems.

The project was initiated by DRDO in 2015 with a budgetary allocation of Rs 332.88 crore, and executed by Hyderabad-based Research Centre Imarat (RCI) that is responsible for developing missile systems, guided weapons and advanced avionics.

The first two tests of the missile were carried out in quick succession on December 22 and 23, 2021. A third flight test was conducted on November 7, 2023. DRDO described the tests as successful, with the systems achieving all the required mission objectives.

The missile incorporates several technologies developed by DRDO for other platforms such as the exoatmospheric interceptor missile Prithvi defence vehicle, Prahaar tactical missile and the Sagarika submarine-launched ballistic missile. Its guidance module includes state-of-the-art navigation system and integrated avionics.

There are several missiles in service with other countries that can be compared to Pralay. These include Russia’s 9K720 Iskander that is also being used in the ongoing war with Ukraine, US’ Precision Strike Missile, South Korea’s Hyunmoo — 2A and China’s Dong Feng – 12. All these missiles are road-mobile and capable of carrying nuclear warheads.

In the aftermath of the violent face-off with China along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in eastern Ladakh in mid-2020 and the subsequent stand-off that still continues, the Army had sought acquisition of Pralay in 2022, following which the Ministry of Defence had reportedly cleared procurement of 120 such missiles.

In April 2023, reports said that the Ministry of Defence had accepted a proposal to acquire another 250 Pralay missiles at an estimated cost of Rs 7,500 crore for the Air Force. Subsequently in September 2023, the Defence Ministry reportedly agreed to raise a regiment of Pralay missiles for the Army.

Conventionally, only those weapon systems that have been inducted into the armed forces are displayed on Republic Day, some defence experts believe that Pralay is already operational, though no formal announcement on its status has been made by any government agency.

Pralay, along with other missiles like Nirbhay, Prahar and Pinaka, are among the new members of DRDO’s indigenous arsenal. These are expected to form the proposed Integrated Rocket Force (IRF) a tri-service establishment that will operate short and medium range conventionally armed rockets and missiles. IRF would be separate from Strategic Forces Command that forms part of the country’s nuclear deterrence.