Pralay Missile

About Pralay Missile:

• 'Pralay' is a 350-500 km short-range,quasi-ballistic surface-to-surface missile with a payload capacity of 500-1,000 kg.
• The solid-fuel, battlefield missile is based on the Prithvi Defence Vehicle.
• The missile has been developed by the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) in view of the country's defence requirements along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) and Line of Control (LoC).
• Features:
  • The Pralay, powered by a solid propellant rocket motor,never leaves the atmosphere and follows a flat trajectory.
  • Range: It can hit targets 150-500 km away.
  • The missile navigates to its target using inertial guidance. It can be controlled throughout its flight.
  • It features a radio frequency (DSMAC—Digital Scene-Matching Area Correlation) seeker for terminal guidance.
  • The missile is fitted with an indigenously developed Fused Silica Radar Dome (RADOME).
  • The Pralay missile features a jet vane system for thrust vector control, suggesting that the missile can perform evasive maneuvers in the terminal phase of flight.
  • The missile can feature different types of warheads, including PF (Pre-fragmented), Monolithic PCB (Penetration cum blast), and Submunition PCB.
  • The Pralay missile features two sets of small fins to reduce its radar signature.

Q1: What are ballistic missiles?

A ballistic missile is a rocket-propelled, self-guided strategic-weapons system that follows a ballistic trajectory to deliver a payload from its launch site to a predetermined target. They are powered initially by a rocket or series of rockets in stages, but then follow an unpowered trajectory that arches upwards before descending to reach its intended target. They can carry conventional high explosives as well as chemical, biological, or nuclear munitions.