DRDO successfully tests indigenous Pralay missile: Range capability validated - why it matters

NEW DELHI: The Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) on Tuesday carried out two back-to-back successful flight tests of the newly developed tactical missile Pralay, capable of carrying a conventional warhead, from Dr APJ Abdul Kalam Island off the Odisha coast, according to a statement from the office of defence minister Rajnath Singh on Tuesday.

In a post onX, RMO said, “The DRDO has conducted two consecutive successful flight tests of Pralay Missile on 28th and 29th July 2025 from Dr APJ Abdul Kalam island off the coast of Odisha.”



The flight tests were conducted as part of user evaluation trials to verify the missile system's maximum and minimum range capabilities, the defence ministry said in an official statement. The missiles followed the planned trajectory and accurately reached the target, meeting all test objectives, DRDO also said in a post on X.

"All subsystems performed as per expectations, which were verified using test data captured by various tracking sensors deployed by the integrated test range, including instruments deployed on ships positioned near the designated impact point," it added in a statement.

"Pralay is an indigenously-developed solid propellant quasi-ballistic missile employing state-of-the-art guidance and navigation to ensure high precision," the ministry said.



Pralay is a short-range surface-to-surface missile with a payload capacity of 500 to 1,000 kg. Developed by the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), it is designed to carry conventional warheads and has a range of 150 to 500 km.

Defence minister Rajnath Singh praised DRDO, the armed forces, and industry partners involved in the project, stating that the missile, which incorporates modern technologies, will enhance the armed forces’ capabilities.

Secretary, department of defence R&D and chairman DRDO Dr Samir V Kamat congratulated the teams, stating that the successful completion of this phase-1 flight tests paves the way for induction of the system into the armed forces in near future, the statement put out by PIB said.

The missile system was developed by the Research Centre Imarat in collaboration with several DRDO laboratories, including the Advanced Systems Laboratory, Armament Research and Development Establishment, High Energy Materials Research Laboratory, Defence Metallurgical Research Laboratory, Terminal Ballistics Research Laboratory, and the research and development establishment (engineers). Industry partners in the project included Bharat Dynamics Limited, Bharat Electronics Limited, and various MSMEs.

Earlier on July 25, DRDO successfully conducted flight trials of the unmanned aerial vehicle launched precision guided missile (ULPGM)-V3 at the national open area range (NOAR) in Kurnool, Andhra Pradesh. The ULPGM-V3 is an upgraded version of the earlier ULPGM-V2 missile developed by DRDO.

According to the official statement, the missile features a high-definition, dual-channel seeker capable of engaging various targets and can be launched in both plain and high-altitude areas.

It has day-and-night capability and a two-way data link for post-launch target updates. The missile offers three modular warhead options: an anti-armour warhead to destroy modern armoured vehicles with rolled homogeneous armour (RHA) and explosive reactive armour (ERA); a penetration-cum-blast warhead for anti-bunker use; and a pre-fragmentation warhead with a high lethality zone.