DRDO flight-tests Pralay quasi-ballistic missile off Odisha coast

On 22 December 2022, the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), India's state military research agency, carried out the first flight test of the Pralay missile. It was launched from APJ Abdul Kalam Island, a test site off the coast of Odisha in the Bay of Bengal.

Pralay is a surface-to-surface, solid-fuelled missile described as quasi-ballistic, meaning it can alter its path in flight rather than follow a fixed arc, which makes interception harder. It was designed for a range of roughly 150 to 500 kilometres and for carrying conventional warheads. Its development drew on technology from India's earlier Prithvi missile programme.

India's Ministry of Defence said the launch met its objectives, with radar and tracking systems along the coast monitoring the flight. The test was an early step toward fielding a tactical missile for the Indian armed forces, and it was followed by further trials in the following months and years. It mattered because it showed India building up its conventional missile options with domestically developed systems.