On Tuesday (7 November), India successfully test fired ‘Pralay’, short-range tactical ballistic missile (TBM), from the Abdul Kalam Island located off the coast of Odisha.

The missile, developed by the Defense Research and Development Organisation, was launched at approximately 9:50 am and achieved all of its mission objectives. Sophisticated tracking instruments closely monitored its trajectory along the coastline, ensuring precision.

Pralay is a surface-to-surface TBM with a range of 350-500 kilometres and with a payload capacity of 500 to 1,000 kilograms.

This missile is specifically designed for deployment along the Line of Actual Control opposite China.

Earlier, in December 2021, the missile was successfully tested twice. The Ministry of Defence has already ordered 370 Pralay missiles for use with the upcoming rocket forces, alongside the BrahMos supersonic cruise missile.

India is also considering the use of medium-range ballistic missiles like Shaurya and Agni-P in conventional roles, in conjunction with Pralay and BrahMos in the rocket forces.

Pralay missile follows a quasi-ballistic trajectory, where it flies lower than a ballistic trajectory and maintains high speed throughout the flight. It is also capable of manoeuvring during the flight, increasing its chances of successfully penetrating enemy defences.

It will primarily be used to hit targets like ammunition dumps, petrol, oil and lubricants depots, command and control nodes, air bases, and hardened targets. Pralay’s high terminal velocity will enable it to take out hardened targets.

The missile comes in a canisterised configuration. This not only reduces the time taken to launch the missile at a target but also makes the missile system highly mobile. This also allows the system to escape enemy attacks at short notice.