DRDO Flight-Tests Pralay Quasi-Ballistic Missile in User Evaluation Trials
The Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) carried out a successful flight test of Pralay, an indigenously developed (made in India) quasi-ballistic missile, on 5 November 2026.
The missile was launched at about 11:10 am from Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam Island, off the coast of Odisha.
The test was part of user evaluation trials: tests in which the armed forces that will use the missile check whether it meets their needs before it is formally inducted.
The Ministry of Defence said all test objectives were fully met. This was confirmed by data from tracking instruments of the Integrated Test Range (ITR), Chandipur.
The test follows earlier user trials in July 2025 (minimum and maximum range tests) and a salvo launch of two Pralay missiles from one launcher on 31 December 2025, and moves the missile closer to induction.
Pralay Missile: India's Quasi-Ballistic Surface-to-Surface Missile
Pralay is a short-range, surface-to-surface missile developed by DRDO. "Surface-to-surface" means it is fired from the ground and hits a target on the ground. It can strike targets about 150 to 500 km away with a conventional (non-nuclear) warhead. It is called quasi-ballistic because it mostly follows the path of a ballistic missile but can also change direction in flight, which makes it hard to shoot down.
The 5 November 2026 test was part of user evaluation trials, the final stage before the Army and Air Force formally induct Pralay. Meeting all objectives in these trials means India is close to fielding its own conventional quasi-ballistic missile along its northern and western borders.
Ballistic Missiles vs Cruise Missiles
Missiles are of two main kinds. A ballistic missile is pushed up by a rocket for a short time, then coasts in a high arc, like a thrown cricket ball, and falls onto its target pulled by gravity. A cruise missile flies like a small unmanned plane: an engine keeps it powered almost all the way, and it stays inside the atmosphere, often flying very low. Knowing this difference helps you place any missile in the news, from Agni to BrahMos to Pralay.
Pralay sits between the two classic types: it is rocket-powered like a ballistic missile but flies a lower path and manoeuvres, so it is called quasi-ballistic. Its latest user trial shows India building a fast, hard-to-intercept conventional missile, alongside its cruise missiles like BrahMos and its ballistic Agni series.
- Test date and time: 5 November 2026, about 11:10 am
- Launch site: Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam Island, off Odisha
- Tracking: Integrated Test Range (ITR), Chandipur
- Purpose: user evaluation trials; all objectives met
- Pralay: DRDO-developed, quasi-ballistic, surface-to-surface, range 150-500 km, solid propellant, conventional warhead
- Lead lab: Research Centre Imarat (RCI), Hyderabad
- First tested: 22 December 2021
- Approvals: about 120 missiles cleared in December 2022 (Air Force first); Army regiment cleared by DAC in September 2023 for LAC and LoC
- Earlier user trials: 28-29 July 2025 (min and max range); salvo launch 31 December 2025