Indian Armed Forces To Get Pralay Missile; 150-500 Km Range Will Allow Targeting Of Chinese Infra In Tibet

The Indian armed forces are planning to acquire the 'Pralay' tactical ballistic missile, which has a range of between 150 and 500 kilometers.

The proposal for this acquisition is reportedly at an advanced stage and is set to be discussed at a high-level meeting this week, ANI has reported.

The last know test of the missile was conducted by the Defence Research and Development Organisation in December 2021. The missile was test-fired twice on two consequitive days, the report adds.

The report comes amid renewed tensions with China along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) following clashes in Arunachal's Tawang.

A report in The New Indian Express says that the missile is comparable to China's Dongfeng 12 and Russia's 9K720 Iskander, both of which are also short-range tactical ballistic missiles.

Pralay, the report claims, is a derivative of the Prithvi Defence Vehicle exo-atmospheric interceptor missile, which the DRDO developed as part of India's ballistic missile defence programme.

Pralay will allow the Indian Army to target dual-use Chinese infrastructure and military bases on the Tibetan Plateau.

Over the years, China has built a large network of roads, bridges, airports, and railway lines that could be used to surge troops to the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in the event of a conflict with India. A tactical ballistic missile like Pralay would allow the Indian forces to target this infrastructure.