India’s Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) achieved a massive milestone on December 31, 2025, by successfully conducting the salvo launch of two Pralay quasi-ballistic missiles.
The tests, carried out as part of user evaluation trials, took place around 10:30 am from the Integrated Test Range in Chandipur, using a land-based mobile launcher.
In a demonstration of the system’s rapid-fire reliability, both missiles were fired in quick succession from the same launcher.
According to the DRDO statements and defence ministry updates, the missiles followed their intended quasi-ballistic trajectories, met all predefined flight objectives, and performed as expected during the terminal phase.
Telemetry data from tracking sensors, radars, electro-optical systems, and a ship positioned near the impact area confirmed high precision, accuracy, and the successful verification of guidance, navigation, and control systems.
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh congratulated the DRDO, the Indian Army, the Indian Air Force, defence public sector undertakings (DPSUs), and industry partners, stating that the successful salvo launch “has established the reliability of the Pralay missile system.”
Dr. Samir V. Kamat, Secretary of the Department of Defence R&D and Chairman of DRDO, also praised the collaborative teams, noting that the achievement signals the system’s imminent readiness for induction into the armed forces.
Salvo lunch of two Pralay Missile in quick succession from same launcher were successfully conducted today from ITR, Chandipur. The flight test was conducted as part of User evaluation trials. Both the missiles followed the intended trajectory meeting all flight objectives. pic.twitter.com/QeJYVDhL1l
— DRDO (@DRDO_India) December 31, 2025
India’s “Deadly” Pralay Missile
Named after the Sanskrit word for “apocalypse” or “widespread destruction,” this missile was developed under ‘Project Pralay,’ sanctioned in March 2015, and has since rapidly evolved into one of India’s most formidable tactical weapons.
Pralay is a canisterised, tactical, short-range, surface-to-surface ballistic missile developed by DRDO for the Indian Armed Forces.
It is designed for precision strikes in conventional warfare as India further bolsters its combat capability amid a double security threat from Pakistan and China.
This missile combines lethality and precision with mobility.
Designed to be a quick-reaction missile, it can be launched within 10 minutes from a canister on a land mobile launcher. The missile boasts rapid deployment capabilities and can transition from command to launch in 60 seconds. Notably, a 12×12 vehicle can carry two Pralay missiles, each capable of targeting different locations or striking a single target from two different trajectories, enhancing the kill probability.
Each launcher is complemented by a Battery Command Centre (BCC) vehicle, which functions as a communication hub and supports missile operations.
Pralay is India’s first indigenous conventional tactical quasi-ballistic missile. This means that, unlike purely ballistic missiles, Pralay follows a quasi-ballistic trajectory, allowing it to maneuver during flight, evade enemy air defenses, and achieve high accuracy.
Compared to ballistic missiles, quasi-ballistic missiles are far more difficult to intercept. A ballistic missile’s flight path can be predicted from its trajectory when the rocket motor burns out.
Meanwhile, a quasi-ballistic missile switches from a ballistic to a flat trajectory after being launched. The switch makes the flight route unpredictable and delays detection by facilitating maneuver and lowering the radar horizon for enemy radars.
“At long range, if you cannot predict the flight path of a missile, you cannot engage it with an air defence missile,” as noted by IAF veteran and analyst, Squadron Leader Vijainder K. Thakur in an article for the EurAsian Times.
Driven by a solid propellant rocket motor, the Pralay maintains a flat trajectory and never leaves the atmosphere. The missile can carry a payload weighing 350-1,000 kilograms. The missile can carry a variety of warheads, such as submunition PCB, monolithic PCB (penetration cum burst), and PF (pre-fragmented).
The Pralay missile features two sets of small fins to reduce its radar signature. One of Pralay’s standout features is its ability to optimize its flight path to avoid air defense systems.
In its terminal phase, it employs a millimeter-wave (MMW) seeker for precision targeting, with its speed varying depending on the trajectory. The missile employs inertial navigation for mid-flight guidance and radar imaging for terminal homing, ensuring precision strikes with a Circular Error Probability (CEP) of around 10 meters.
Furthermore, the missile’s jet vane system for thrust vector control enables it to perform evasive maneuvers in its terminal phase.
Once inducted into service, the Pralay missile will be nearly impossible to intercept due to its high speed, quasi-ballistic trajectory, and terminal maneuverability. Moreover, it will fill a critical operational gap between longer-range ballistic missiles like Prithvi, with a range of about 350 kilometres, and multi-barrel rocket systems like Pinaka, with a range of 90 kilometres.
As previously pointed out by Thakur, “The Pralay missile is an analog of Russia’s Iskander-M quasi-ballistic missile, which has acquired a formidable reputation during Russia’s Special Military Operation in Ukraine.”
He argued that the Pralay and Iskander-M exhibit impressive accuracy, with a circular error probability (CEP) of around 10 meters, a feature attributed to terminal guidance systems utilizing seekers.
While the Iskander-M employs optical or radio-frequency Digital Scene Mapping and Correlation (DSMAC) guidance, the Pralay is believed to currently rely solely on radio-frequency DSMAC.
Like the Iskander-M, Pralay may also be capable of deploying decoys to mislead and overwhelm enemy air defense systems, he added.
Going by that argument, it is possible that the impressive performance of the Russian Iskander-M missile in Ukraine likely spurred India’s Ministry of Defence and the DRDO to expedite the enhancement and acquisition of the Pralay missile system.
Additionally, its advanced features have drawn interest from countries such as Armenia and the Philippines. However, a contract is yet to be signed.
In the regional and more circumstantial context, Pralay will enhance India’s conventional strike capabilities in a potential future conflict with Pakistan, particularly along the western border where ranges of 150–500 kilometers cover key Pakistani military assets, including airbases, command centers, and troop concentrations in Punjab, Sindh, and parts of Balochistan.
The missile could evade Pakistan’s air defense systems by flying low and maneuvering unpredictably, reducing the chances of interception compared to cruise missiles like BrahMos.
Harshavardhan Dabbiru, a defense analyst with GlobalData, noted that Pralay is regarded as a reply to Pakistan’s Nasr (Hatf-9) missile. “However, unlike Nasr, which is nuclear-capable, Pralay is designed for high-precision conventional strikes.
“Once positioned along India’s western frontier, this missile extends India’s capacity for deep-strike capabilities by placing critical Pakistani military installations within its reach,” Dabbiru added.
The deployment of Pralay near the Line of Control (LoC) would allow quick-response firepower, sustaining operations against enemy advances while minimizing collateral damage through its high accuracy. This essentially means that this missile could neutralize Pakistani forward positions or artillery without escalating to nuclear thresholds, providing India with escalation dominance in localized conflicts.
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