Govt clears 120 Pralay ballistic missiles for armed forces, to be deployed along China, Pakistan border

Tags: Defence

The Union Defence ministry has approved a proposal on 25 December 2022 to buy around 120 Pralay ballistic missiles to be deployed along the China Pakistan borders. The missile will be inducted first in the Indian Air Force and then in the Indian Army.

Pralay ballistic missiles is a canisterised tactical, surface-to-surface short-range ballistic missile developed by the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) for battlefield use.  

Pralay missile will replace the liquid fuelled Prithvi-1 missile which is in use by the Indian Army. Prithvi-1 has a range of 150 Km with a payload of 1 tonnes of warhead. Liquid fueled rockets are more accurate but are expensive and prone to weather conditions affecting its performances. 

The Pralay ballistic missile is an improvement over the Prithvi -1 missile. The missiles have a range of 150 to 500 kms. It is a solid fuelled rocket that follows a quasi- ballistic trajectory and can perform mid-air maneuver to defeat anti-ballistic interceptors.

Pralay is a tactical missile which can hit military targets in China and Pakistan and has a better capability in the high altitude areas. 

DRDO chairman: Samir Kamat