Defence Ministry clears proposal for Pralay ballistic missiles for Indian Army

In a major boost to its firepower, the Defence Ministry has approved the procurement of a regiment of ‘Pralay’ ballistic missiles for the Indian Army for deployment along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) and Line of Control (LoC), that is, borders with China and Pakistan respectively.

“This is a major decision for the Indian Army as the proposal to acquire a regiment of the Pralay ballistic missiles which can hit targets between 150-500 Km, was cleared by the recent Defence Acquisition Council meeting,” defence officials told ANI.

The Army would be deploying these missiles with conventional warheads and using them in tactical roles. The decision to buy these missiles comes soon after a similar proposal was cleared by the government for the Indian Air Force, they said.

As per sources, the acquisition of these ballistic missiles is being seen as a big development for the country which now has a policy that allows the use of ballistic missiles in tactical roles.

“Both China and Pakistan have ballistic missiles which are for tactical roles. The missiles developed by the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) is being further developed and its range can be extended significantly if the forces want it,” the sources said.

The missile system started developing around 2015 and the development of such a capability was given a push by the late General Bipin Rawat as Chief of Army Staff.

The missile was successfully tested twice on consecutive days last year on December 21 and December 22.

‘Pralay’ is a quasi-ballistic surface-to-surface missile. The advanced missile has been developed in a way to be able to defeat interceptor missiles. It has the ability to change its path after covering a certain range in midair.

‘Pralay’ is powered by a solid propellant rocket motor and other new technologies. The missile guidance system includes state-of-the-art navigation and integrated avionics.