Why Pralay Missile Is A Game Changer For Indian Army

Less than a week ago, India did a salvo launch of the indigenously developed Pralay missile. The test, which entailed launching two back to back missiles from the same launcher, met all the objectives.

Pralay is a conventional short-range quasi-ballistic missile that has caught the attention of Indian military enthusiasts and India’s adversaries alike. So what distinguishes it from the rest?

There are four verticals on which I can place Pralay as a missile: warhead, guidance & navigation, ability to manoeuvre and its hypersonic characteristic, Lt Gen VK Saxena (Retd), former Director General (Air Defence), Indian Army, told BharatShakti Editor-in-Chief Nitin A. Gokhale.

Pralay offers users the flexibility of deploying three types of warheads, depending on mission requirements.

• High Explosive Pre-formed Fragments

This warhead is intended for area targets, so when it explodes over the target it causes catastrophic damage.

• Penetration-cum-Blast

Being a short range tactical missile, Pralay needs to have warheads that can cause damage to underground bunkers. These warheads have a fuse that does not immediately explode but lets the missile penetrate the ground and once the target is reached, the fuse detonates, says Lt Gen Saxena (Retd).

• Runway Denial Warhead

This is basically meant for runways and underground radar installations. The missile penetrates underground and creates a radar effect, which effectively makes the target unusable for months, as seen during Operation Sindoor, he adds.

Accuracy

Pralay packs high accuracy, capable of hitting targets with an error margin of less than 10 metres. The system is so built that the missile can sense its motion, can sense its rotation and can sense its location.

Highly Manoeuvrable

Unlike traditional ballistic missiles that follow a fixed path, Pralay can correct course mid-flight. This makes it difficult for enemy air defence systems to intercept it.

Speed

Pralay is a hypersonic missile that can travel at Mach 6. At that speed, enemy radars and missile defence systems will find it tough to track it and get very little time to react. The missile has a range of up to 500 kilometres, is road-mobile and can be operated with equal ease both in the plains and in the mountains. Pralay is expected to play a role in India’s future rocket force.

Tune in to this conversation in which Lt Gen VK Saxena (Retd) traces India’s missile journey as well.

Team BharatShakti