Chandipur: In a significant milestone for the country’s missile programme, the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) successfully carried out a salvo launch of two Pralay missiles in rapid succession from a single launcher off the Odisha coast at around 10:30am on Wednesday. The launches were conducted as part of user evaluation trials.
Both missiles performed as planned, precisely following their designated trajectories and meeting all mission objectives. Their flight performance was tracked and validated by sensors deployed by the Integrated Test Range, Chandipur, while the terminal phase was independently confirmed through telemetry systems installed on a ship positioned near the designated impact area, according to an official statement.
Pralay is an indigenously developed, solid-fuel, quasi-ballistic missile equipped with advanced guidance and navigation systems, enabling high accuracy. The missile is designed to carry different types of warheads and can engage a variety of targets.
The system has been developed by the Research Centre Imarat, Hyderabad, with contributions from several DRDO laboratories, including the 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 & Development Establishment (Engineers) and the Integrated Test Range. Bharat Dynamics Limited and Bharat Electronics Limited, the designated development-cum-production partners, integrated the missile systems for the trials, with support from other Indian industry partners.
The trials were witnessed by senior DRDO scientists, representatives from the Indian Air Force and the Indian Army, as well as officials from the participating industries, including the production partners.
Meanwhile, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh congratulated DRDO, the Indian Air Force, the Indian Army, defence public sector undertakings and industry partners for the successful back-to-back launches. He said the achievement demonstrates the reliability and operational readiness of the Pralay missile system.
