India successfully tests Pralay missile in salvo launch; what it can do

India on Wednesday successfully conducted a salvo launch of two Pralay missiles in quick succession from the same launcher, marking a key milestone in the user evaluation phase of the indigenously developed weapon system.

The Ministry of Defence said the Defence Research & Development Organisation (DRDO) carried out the test at around 10:30 am on December 31, 2025, off the coast of Odisha. Both missiles were launched back-to-back from a single launcher as part of user evaluation trials.

"The flight-test was conducted as part of user evaluation trials. Both the missiles followed the intended trajectory meeting all flight objectives as confirmed by tracking sensors deployed by the Integrated Test Range, Chandipur," the ministry said in a statement. It added that the terminal events were confirmed by telemetry systems installed onboard a ship deployed near the impact points.

Pralay missile

Pralay is an indigenously developed solid propellant, quasi-ballistic missile that uses advanced guidance and navigation systems to achieve high precision. The missile is capable of carrying multiple types of warheads against a variety of targets, giving the armed forces flexibility across operational scenarios.

The missile has been developed by Research Centre Imarat, Hyderabad, in collaboration with multiple DRDO laboratories, including Defence Research and Development Laboratory, Advanced Systems Laboratory, Armament Research and Development Establishment, High Energy Materials Research Laboratory, Defence Metallurgical Research Laboratory, Terminal Ballistics Research Laboratory, Research & Development Establishment (Engineers) and the Integrated Test Range.

The system has also been developed with Development-cum-Production Partners Bharat Dynamics Limited and Bharat Electronics Limited, along with other Indian industry partners. For the latest tests, the systems were integrated by the two production partners.

Senior scientists from DRDO, representatives of the Indian Air Force and the Indian Army, and industry partners, including the Development-cum-Production Partners, witnessed the trials.

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh congratulated DRDO, the Indian Air Force, the Indian Army, defence public sector undertakings and industry partners on the successful back-to-back launches. "The successful completion of the salvo launch of the Pralay missile has established the reliability of the missile," he said.

DRDO Chairman Dr Samir V Kamat also congratulated the teams involved, stating that the achievement "indicates imminent readiness of induction of the system with the users."