Kolkata: The Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) on Thursday successfully test-fired the ‘Pralay’ conventional quasi ballistic missile for the second time in the last 24 hours. The surface-to-surface missile was first tested from Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam Island off the coast of Odisha on Wednesday.
The missile has a range of 150-500 kilometers and has been developed according to specifications given by the Army.
Consecutive second flight test of new surface to surface missile 'Pralay' conducted successfully from Dr APJ Abdul Kalam Island today. #IndigenousTechnologies pic.twitter.com/7TwM8wM1QD
— DRDO (@DRDO_India) December 23, 2021
The government official on the test said “The test was conducted for a different range and met all the parameters. This is the second successful test of the missile in the last 24 hours as yesterday also it was tested successfully. It is also the first time in the country that a developmental missile has been tested successfully on two consecutive days.”
According to the Ministry of the Defence “The missile followed the desired quasi ballistic trajectory and reached the designated target with high degree accuracy, validating the control, guidance and mission algorithms. All the sub-systems performed satisfactorily. All the sensors deployed near the impact point across the eastern coast, including the downrange ships, tracked the missile trajectory and captured all the events.”
Capable of being launched from a mobile launcher, it has the latest navigation system and integrated avionics and will be part of the Artillery Corps of the Army. Pralay will be the longest-range surface-to-surface missile in the inventory of the Army, which sources said will give a fillip to their operational plans.
The Army also has the BrahMos supersonic cruise missile in its arsenal, with a stated range of 290-plus kilometers. Defence Minister Rajnath Singh congratulated the DRDO and the associated teams for the flight trials.
(_Vinayak)