New Delhi: India recently conducted multiple tests of its Pralay missile from Dr APJ Abdul Kalam Island near Odisha, according to security sources. These tests have raised concerns about escalating tensions in the region.
Security officials have described the missile tests as a deliberate move aimed at triggering an arms race and increasing the risk of conflict. They pointed out that Pakistan possesses the Nasr (Hatf-IX) missile, which can carry a nuclear warhead and serves as a countermeasure to India’s missile capabilities.
The Nasr missile’s characteristics make it an effective deterrent against an initial strike by an adversary, the sources explained.
The Defence Research & Development Organisation (DRDO) of India, as per the Press Information Bureau (PIB), carried out two consecutive light tests of the Pralay missile on July 28 and 29. These trials were intended to validate the missile’s minimum and maximum range capabilities.
The Pralay is a quasi-ballistic, solid-fuel surface-to-surface missile capable of deploying various types of warheads. It is expected to be integrated into India’s proposed Integrated Rocket Force (IRF), which is currently under planning and will operate independently from the Strategic Forces Command (SFC), as reported by the Times of India.
These recent missile tests follow closely after a four-day military clash between India and Pakistan. During this conflict, Pakistan responded to India’s cross-border strikes—carried out under Operation Bunyan-um-Marsoos—by targeting several Indian military installations and shooting down multiple fighter jets.
The military confrontation was triggered by a deadly attack in the Pahalgam area of Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK), where 26 tourists were killed.
