The Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) on December 31 carried out a successful salvo launch of two indigenously developed Pralay missiles from the same launcher off the Odisha coast.
The back-to-back launches were conducted around 10.30 am as part of user evaluation trials and are being seen as an important step in India’s missile development programme. DRDO said both missiles performed as expected, following their planned trajectories and meeting all mission parameters.
Tracking data from sensors deployed by the Integrated Test Range (ITR) at Chandipur confirmed the flight performance, while telemetry systems onboard ships positioned near the impact area validated the terminal events.
Pralay is a solid-fuel, quasi-ballistic missile fitted with advanced guidance and navigation systems for high accuracy. It is designed to carry different types of warheads and is capable of engaging a wide range of targets.
The missile has been developed by the Research Centre Imarat (RCI) in Hyderabad with support from several DRDO laboratories and industry partners, including Bharat Dynamics Limited and Bharat Electronics Limited. Integration for the trial was carried out by the development-cum-production partners. Senior DRDO officials, along with representatives from the Indian Army, Indian Air Force and industry, were present during the test.
Raksha Mantri Rajnath Singh congratulated DRDO, the armed forces, defence public sector undertakings and industry partners on the successful launch, saying it reaffirmed the reliability of the Pralay missile system.
DRDO Chairman and Secretary, Department of Defence R&D, Dr Samir V Kamat also praised the teams involved, noting that the successful trials point towards the system’s readiness for induction into the armed forces.