New Delhi : To counter the formidable Chinese behemoth and aggression in all sectors of the Line of Actual Control (LAC), India’s eminent Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) has developed a new and destructive weapon called Pralay Missile. The missile is named after the Sanskrit word for “Holocaust.”
It is a canister tactical surface-to-surface missile and can be used as a Short-Range Ballistic Missile (SRBM) for battlefield use. It is an answer to the Chinese Dongfeng -12 CSS-X-15 missile.
Akin to the People’s Republic of China (PRC), which has a separate wing for missiles called “Strategic Rocket Force”, India has forwarded this proposal, and it is being discussed in the highest-level talks in Defence Ministry (MoD). This rocket force will be instrumental in countering enemies at the border. It was the brainchild of the late CDS (Chief of Defence Staff) General Bipin Rawat.
The Defence Research and Development Organisation has described Pralay as the “next-generation missile.” It uses a rocket propellant engine with a range of 500km and follows a Quasi-Ballistic trajectory.
The project on the missile began in 2015 and took four years to be completed.
It was first tested on Abdul Kalam Island, located off the coast of Odisha, on 22nd September 2021. The second test was conducted the next day, i.e., 23rd September 2021.
The missile has a high explosive fragmentation warhead weighing 350 to 700 kg. The missile can target and destroy enemy radars, communications, installations, command and control centres and airfields.
The missile is road-mobile and fulfils the requirement of the Indian Military for a conventional-powered Ballistic rocket that is not hampered by the core principle of Indian Nuclear Doctrine (“No First Use”).
Moreover, the missile can dodge and evade anti-ballistic interceptors. It can exhibit manoeuvres in the air with the help of a re-entry vehicle. It has a Penetrating Cum Blast (PCB) and a Runway Denial Penetration Sub-munition.
In simple terms, the weapon refers to bombs and bomblets capable of destroying the entire surface of an airstrip or a runway, crippling it entirely and rendering it unsuitable for air operations (Take-off and Landing).
Along with the Bramhos Supersonic Missiles, the Pralay and Agni Missiles are Strategic weapons possessed by the Indian Armed Forces. In military terminology, a gun is called strategic if its use can turn the whole outcome of the war. Tactical Weapons can change the product at an immediate battle level.
The Strategic Forces Command of the Indian Republic has complete control over the possession and powers to use and utilize these missiles whenever the need, emergency and threat situation arises.
The Pralay is a side product of the Indian K-series missile family. These missiles are being developed for India’s emerging nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarine (SSBN).
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