Pralay Missile

Prelims: Current events of national and international importance | Science and Technology

Why in News?

Recently, the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) successfully conducted test flights of the Pralay missile from the Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam Island off the coast of Odisha.

• Pralay missile
  • It is an indigenously developed solid propellant quasi-ballistic missile.
  • Range point should be added below.
• Developed by - DRDO, Bharat Dynamics Limited and Bharat Electronics Limited, several industries, and MSMEs.
• Key Features & Advanced Capabilities
• Range – It is a short-range surface-to-surface missile. It strikes against enemy targets with a range of 150 to 500 km away.
• Speed - Up to Mach 6.1.
• Propulsion System - It uses a two-stage solid-propellant rocket motor with a manoeuvrable re-entry vehicle (MaRV) technology in the terminal stage.
• It enables mid-flight manoeuvres to evade interception.
• Flight Trajectory - It follows a quasi-ballistic, low-altitude trajectory with the ability to perform mid-air makeovers to evade missile defence systems.
• Guidance System - Equipped with an inertial navigation system and integrated avionics, it offers high-precision targeting with a circular error probable (CEP) of less than 10 meters.
• Warhead - Capable of carrying conventional warheads weighing between 350 to 1,000 kilograms.
• All-weather connectivity - It has all-weather and day/night capability and utilizes advanced guidance for high precision.

References

1. The Hindu| Successful Test Conducted on Pralay Missile
2. PIB| DRDO Test Trail on Pralay Missile
3. The Indian Express| DRDO Successful Test on Pralay