What is Pralay?
Pralay is the Indian Army’s longest-range tactical ballistic surface-to-surface missile, with the ability to strike targets ranging from 150 to 500 kilometers away.
Pralay is set to join the Rocket Force, alongside the BrahMos missile and other systems like Smerch and indigenous Pinaka multi-barrel missile launchers.
How Pralay is unique?
What makes Pralay unique is its capability to change its flight path mid-flight after covering a certain distance, making it challenging for interceptor missiles to track.
What are the standout features of Pralay?
One of Pralay’s standout features is its quasi-ballistic nature. It maintains a low trajectory, behaving mostly like a ballistic missile, but it retains the ability to manoeuvre during flight, making it challenging to intercept.
Unlike intercontinental ballistic missiles that exit the Earth’s atmosphere, short-range ballistic missiles like Pralay stay within it.
Pralay’s accuracy is one of its strong points.
What are features of Pralay missile?
Pralay, enclosed in a canister, boasts a range of 150-500 kilometers, tailored to meet the Army’s requirement for a tactical conventional missile for battlefield use.
It can carry a conventional warhead ranging from 350 kg to 700 kg, granting it formidable striking power
The Pralay missiles are propelled by solid-propellant rocket motors and incorporate cutting-edge technologies, promising to significantly enhance the Indian Army’s offensive capabilities.
It aligns with a broader strategy to develop a strategic rocket force, to counter potential threats along the borders.
Why it is said that Pralay missile is a mix of various missile programs?
Pralay is a derivative of the Prahaar missile program, which was first tested in 2011.
Pralay draws elements from various missile programs, including the K-series of submarine-launched ballistic missiles and the ballistic defence shield program.
Where does Pralay stands among its counterparts?
Pralay stands on par with China’s Dong Feng 12 and the Russian Iskander missile, which has seen action in Ukraine. The US Army is also working to extend the range of a similar short-range ballistic missile known as the Precision Strike Missile (PrSM).
What was the need for a tactical ballistic missile when there is already a cruise missile BrahMos?
Each has its distinct advantages. While the BrahMos offers high agility, stealth, and even the ability to linger in an area, Pralay excels in speed, making it a tough target even for modern air defence systems.
Pralay, along with the BrahMos supersonic cruise missile, will play a central role in India’s Rocket Force.
Where will be Pralay missiles deployed?
These missiles are intended for deployment along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) and Line of Control (LoC), essentially the borders with China and Pakistan, respectively.
Both China and Pakistan have already deployed ballistic missiles for tactical purposes in these regions.
What is the present status of Pralay?
The decision to procure the indigenous short-range ballistic surface-to-surface missile Pralay was made in 2015.
Pralay missiles have already undergone successful testing and have been in the pipeline for acquisition and induction.
