500-Km Strike Range, 1,000-Kg Payload: India Successfully Test-Fires Pralay Missile

India has successfully test-fired its indigenously developed Pralay quasi-ballistic missile off the Odisha coast, marking a major step towards strengthening the country’s conventional missile capabilities and bringing the system closer to induction into the armed forces.

The missile was test-fired at 11.10 am on Thursday from Dr APJ Abdul Kalam Island as part of user evaluation trials. The Defence Ministry confirmed that all stipulated objectives were achieved, with flight data collected through instruments deployed by the Integrated Test Range at Chandipur.

Developed by the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), Pralay is a short-range, surface-to-surface missile designed to carry conventional warheads. It has an operational range of 150 to 500 km and can carry payloads weighing between 500 kg and 1,000 kg.

The solid-propellant missile uses advanced guidance and navigation technologies to achieve high precision. It can also carry multiple types of warheads, allowing it to engage different categories of targets.

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh described the successful flight test as another significant milestone in India’s efforts to strengthen indigenous defence capabilities. He said the missile’s advanced technologies would enhance the military’s operational preparedness against emerging threats.

The missile has been developed by DRDO’s Research Centre Imarat in Hyderabad, along with other DRDO laboratories. Bharat Dynamics Limited, one of its development-cum-production partners, has manufactured the system.

The Defence Ministry said the successful trial has brought the missile closer to induction, with senior DRDO officials, defence personnel and industry representatives witnessing the test.