The Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) successfully launched two ‘Pralay’ missiles simultaneously from a single launcher off the coast of Odisha on Wednesday morning, with a short interval between the launches.
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh congratulated the DRDO, Indian Air Force, Indian Army, DPSUs, and industry for the successful launch of the missiles. He said that the successful simultaneous launch of the Pralay missiles has proven the reliability of the missile system.
According to a statement from the Ministry of Defence (MoD), the flight test was conducted at around 10:30 AM as part of user evaluation trials. Tracking sensors deployed by the Integrated Test Range at Chandipur confirmed that both missiles followed the intended trajectory and met all flight objectives. Terminal events were confirmed by telemetry systems on board ships deployed near the impact points.
‘Pralay’ is an indigenously developed solid-propellant quasi-ballistic missile that uses state-of-the-art guidance and navigation to ensure high accuracy. The missile is capable of carrying a variety of warheads against different targets.
The missile has been developed by Research Centre Imarat, Hyderabad, in collaboration with other DRDO laboratories (Defence Research and Development Laboratory, Advanced Systems Laboratory, Armament Research and Development Establishment, High Energy Materials Research Laboratory, Defence Metallurgical Research Laboratory, Terminal Ballistics Research Laboratory, Research and Development Establishment {Engineers}, and Integrated Test Range), development-cum-production partners (Bharat Dynamics Limited and Bharat Electronics Limited), and other Indian industries.
Why is this bad news for Pakistan and China?
While the term “bad news” is often used by the media to highlight strategic implications, what it actually means is:
Increased deterrence against ground threats along the borders. A longer conventional strike range that can reach critical infrastructure from a standoff distance. Reduced vulnerability to the missile defense systems of rival forces, making defense planning more challenging.
Robust indigenous missile development indicates technological maturity and reduced dependence on foreign technology.
According to the MoD, the system was integrated by two development-cum-production partners for the tests. The tests were witnessed by senior scientists from DRDO, user representatives from the Indian Air Force and Indian Army, as well as industry representatives, including the development-cum-production partners and the MoD, according to the statement.
The Secretary of the Department of Defence Research and Development and Chairman of DRDO, Samir V. Kamat, also congratulated the DRDO teams involved in the successful flight test and said that this achievement indicates early readiness for the induction of the system with the users.