Pralay: The missile that lets India strike deep — without going nuclear

Iran’s use of ballistic missiles in the ongoing conflict in West Asia has highlighted an expanding role for these weapons beyond their traditional strategic function. The ballistic missile, seen as a carrier of nuclear weapons, now uses conventional high-explosive warheads to hit targets deep inside enemy territory. Russia has also demonstrated this trend, using the Oreshnik Intermediate-Range Ballistic Missile (IRBM) to hit targets across Ukraine.The terminal speed these missiles reach toward the end of their trajectory makes them very hard to intercept. The US had to bring Terminal High Altitude Area Defence (THAAD) missile systems from across the world to secure some of its allies facing the brunt of Iranian missile strikes.India possesses a growing inventory of ballistic missiles designed to meet both strategic and tactical requirements. The Agni family of missiles serves the strategic role, while the K-series missiles, designed for submarine launch, provide a sea-based strategic capability.For tactical needs, outside the scope of nuclear weapons delivery, India's primary ballistic weapon of choice is the Pralay missile. Pralay is a short‑range tactical ballistic missile that draws on technologies from the Prahaar missile and Prithvi Defence Vehicle (PDV) developed by the Defence Research and Development Organisation to fill the gap of a conventionally armed system unaffected by India’s nuclear no first use policy.The missile carries warheads ranging from 350 to 1,000 kg; these warheads include fragmentation, penetration, and runway denial types. The missile can hit targets as far away as 500 km. Comparable to systems such as China’s Dongfeng-12 and Russia’s Iskander, Pralay is powered by a solid-fuel rocket motor and is capable of performing terminal manoeuvres to evade missile defences.It is designed to strike radar sites, communication hubs, command centers and airfields. It is a tactical weapon system that can be used in conjunction with the Nirbhay sub-sonic cruise missile, BrahMos supersonic cruise missile and the Pinaka multi-barrel rocket launcher system.