India Flight Tests Pralay Missile Off Odisha Coast and Says Induction Is Imminent

India's Defence Research and Development Organisation, known as DRDO, conducted a successful flight test of the quasi ballistic missile Pralay on Thursday, the Press Information Bureau said. The missile was launched from Dr APJ Abdul Kalam Island off the coast of Odisha at around 1110 hrs on November 5, 2026, as part of user evaluation trials.

All test objectives were fully met, the bureau said. The result was confirmed by data from range instruments deployed by the Integrated Test Range at Chandipur, which tracked the flight. The Defence Ministry said that with this successful test, the induction of the Pralay system into the armed forces has become imminent. ANI reporting, carried by Devdiscourse, reported the same induction line from the ministry release. The bureau issued the release at 19:47 IST on November 5.

What Pralay is

Pralay is a surface to surface, solid propellant quasi ballistic missile designed to carry conventional warheads. Daily Jagran, reporting the test and a post by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, gave a reported strike range of 150 to 500 kilometres. ANI also reported that range. The range figure comes from that reporting, not from the text of the bureau release, and this article treats it as a reported figure.

A quasi ballistic missile follows a flatter path than a standard ballistic missile for part of its flight. The bureau release describes Pralay in those terms and places the November 5 launch inside a programme of user evaluation trials, the stage at which the services that would use a system test it before induction.

Who built the system

Pralay was developed in India by Research Centre Imarat in Hyderabad, along with other DRDO laboratories, the bureau said. The system was produced by Bharat Dynamics Limited, one of the Development cum Production Partners for the programme.

The test was conducted in the presence of senior DRDO officials, industry representatives and representatives of the Defence Forces, the bureau said. No casualty, damage or range safety incident was reported in the release, and no independent report of a problem with the flight has been published.

Reaction from the ministry

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh complimented DRDO, the Defence Forces and industry partners on the successful flight test, the bureau said. The Defence Secretary and DRDO Chairman Rajesh Kumar Singh also congratulated the teams involved, according to the release.

The bureau did not give a date for induction in the release. It said only that induction has become imminent after the November 5 test. The next confirmed step, on the record released so far, is that statement itself. Any induction date, unit or order quantity would need a fresh official statement, and none is included in the facts released on November 5.