PRALAY: India’s New Under Development Conventional Strike Surface-to-Surface Missile

[Chinmoy]

Seems suboptimal to me, then mlpgm can only target areas where each can see through its own seeker window effectively each mlpgm having its own sector. If not networked then targets of opportunity will be missed as they won't be able to prioritise between them. If the seeker sectors intersect, it can lead to multiple mlpgm assigned to single target. Also braking mechanism, you are suggesting, there is no source or proof of that, I am not completely sure. And the biggest of reason, mmw seeker can't differentiate between types of targets whether it is a tank or a ballistic missile TEL.
So, I would say that what you are proposing is seriously limiting design and only utility can be to target enemy armoured columns. But then again if Pralay is meant for rocket forces then it won't be in their mission ops, some pralays will have to be under artillery corps for such missions and perhaps a new missile design would be needed given that you don't really need 500km or 350km range to target enemy columns, just 200km would suffice, anyways gettinng ISR on moving enemy targets would be a giant pain.
For purposes to attack enemy radar sites, ballistic missile TELs, other such targets, a missile with mini turbojet which can loiter for 30+ min and weighs similiar to mlpgm at less than 50kgs, and able to cover a much larger search area. Such a system already exists, LOCAAS of US achieved that in 2000s, no reason for us to stick to such a primitive design.
Present mlpgm is just good for armoured columns and not for other missions.
Mission profile would essentially dictate the design.

You are making a simple solution of meeting effective mission objective too much complicated. Rocket force has yet to come up for us to know about its components and structure. Anyway we are coming up with theatre command structure where Rocket force could act in conjuncture with artillery corp.

Now coming to MLPGM itself, if we suppose that 4 of these are packed together and each one is released at an angle of 90 degree from each other, what are the chances of each one homing in on a same target in an artillery or armoured column. Moreover, if you want to take out a specific target among a cluster of various targets, you would have to use CMs. PGM loaded TBM are not an option for that. These are to saturate a target area rather then taking out specific target in an area.

 

[ezsasa]

An old slide showing details of MLPGMS , upgraded NAG seeker IIR and MMW , LOCAL, High Speed datalinks. More details in the slide , this slide is from 2014.

Second one is a recent picture of MLPGM 10 Kg warhead. These munitions can also launch from UAVs . Pralay warhead can stake up with this munitions.


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if the idea is to take out an armoured column, wouldn’t freefall cluster bomblets be of more utility?

with pralay, the angle of attack will be a top attack anyways, and in the volume occupied by MLPGM booster another bomblet could fit in.

 

[HariPrasad-1]

This is the second successful test of the missile in the last 24 hours as yesterday also it was tested successfully. It is also the first time in the country that a developmental missile has been tested successfully on two consecutive days: Government officials

It is said that this one is with full payload.

 

[Kuldeepm952]

You are making a simple solution of meeting effective mission objective too much complicated. Rocket force has yet to come up for us to know about its components and structure. Anyway we are coming up with theatre command structure where Rocket force could act in conjuncture with artillery corp.

Now coming to MLPGM itself, if we suppose that 4 of these are packed together and each one is released at an angle of 90 degree from each other, what are the chances of each one homing in on a same target in an artillery or armoured column. Moreover, if you want to take out a specific target among a cluster of various targets, you would have to use CMs. PGM loaded TBM are not an option for that. These are to saturate a target area rather then taking out specific target in an area.

As I said system config will be based on mission reqmt. Though I am quoting similiar systems which have been developed in past with much deliberation. I would like to see mlpgm loaded BMs in our inventory, if they are planned at all. If I am not wrong, mlpgm was a drdo idea and not service reqmt. which itself makes its induction doubtful. I don't think it would be that simple, otherwise we would have seen that in such similiar systems.
PGMs loaded BMs make perfect sense for penetrating high end air defenses and instant launch on targets of fleeting opportunity where airstrike may not be available or just not fast enough.

 

[Kuldeepm952]

if the idea is to take out an armoured column, wouldn’t freefall cluster bomblets be of more utility?

with pralay, the angle of attack will be a top attack anyways, and in the volume occupied by MLPGM booster another bomblet could fit in.

I think you mean something like BLU 108 SFMs. Though above slide pic does say about SFMs development but we have only seen a pic of it being tested with mortar that too a long time ago. Project status is unknown.
What exactly happened to it?? No artillery round or bomb developed based on it.
This has been the fate of many good drdo works.
Unless something relevant we can see in present time, I think the project has been shelved for now atleast of perhaps DRDO will work further on it unless the forces ask for it.

 

[IndianHawk]

And as per Amiet from Defence Decode, the unit cost for this missile is also significantly less as compared to Brahmos.

That's the whole point of this missile . To be cheap and to be fired in solvos.

Bramhos is expensive and deadly accurate and will be used against specific targets only. While with pralay we will pound anything anywhere anytime.

 

[IndianHawk]

I think you mean something like BLU 108 SFMs. Though above slide pic does say about SFMs development but we have only seen a pic of it being tested with mortar that too a long time ago. Project status is unknown.
What exactly happened to it?? No artillery round or bomb developed based on it.
This has been the fate of many good drdo works.
Unless something relevant we can see in present time, I think the project has been shelved for now atleast of perhaps DRDO will work further on it unless the forces ask for it.

There were recent report of test of drdo cluster munitions / area suppression bomblets. Must be somewhere on drdo thread.

 

[IndianHawk]

There were recent report of test of drdo cluster munitions / area suppression bomblets. Must be somewhere on drdo thread.

Found it.

India successfully test fires cluster munitions version of Pinaka rocket. Each rocket has 234 bomblets and will be used for area suppression strikes against enemy troop/vehicle concentrations.

All versions of Pinaka (Mk1, Mk2 and guided Pinaka) can be equipped with this warhead.

So there is already cluster munitions for pinaka . Multiples of them could become payload for pralay to destroy enemy armour.

 

[kurup]

I dont know why but to me sagarika/k15/shourya/b05 /smart/pralay series of missile looks crude ...

 

[Mikel]

There were recent report of test of drdo cluster munitions / area suppression bomblets. Must be somewhere on drdo thread.

 

[IndianHawk]

I dont know why but to me sagarika/k15/shourya/b05 /smart/pralay series of missile looks crude ...

Composits and metal combination makes them look like that. If they were build from a single material they would look more polished . But it's much better with composits.

 

[kurup]

Composits and metal combination makes them look like that. If they were build from a single material they would look more polished . But it's much better with composits.

That may be case but these missile looks like different parts were hurriedly welded together in some basement .....

 

[maximus777]

If location of radar is known, then it can use its mmw seeker based variant missile to locate them at terminal stage and take them out. Only obstacle for pralay will be if the enemy interceptors would be able to intercept it or not, which depend upon the ability of s400 and hq9.

I hope the S400 we just operationalized can be used to test this and hopefully defeat it. When hostilities do break out, ideally we would like to knock them out in the opening hours before IAF can do their thing.

 

[Kuldeepm952]

There were recent report of test of drdo cluster munitions / area suppression bomblets. Must be somewhere on drdo thread.

Very different things, its like comparing a dumb bomb to a guided one. It's twice this much difference here. Just check working of SFMs and dumb cluster submunitions, saying that we achieved 2nd one doesn't proves anything about having capability of having 1st one.
Check Bonus artillery round and cluster artillery round working on YouTube, it's very clear how much different they are.

 

[lcafanboy]

 

[IndianHawk]

Very different things, its like comparing a dumb bomb to a guided one. It's twice this much difference here. Just check working of SFMs and dumb cluster submunitions, saying that we achieved 2nd one doesn't proves anything about having capability of having 1st one.
Check Bonus artillery round and cluster artillery round working on YouTube, it's very clear how much different they are.

No one is saying that we developed senser fused munitions. We are working on that.

Anyway this is about warhead for a missile which already has it's own seeker / navigation. While nearing target it can deploy both smart and dumb munitions depending upon the density / type of target area .

 

[IndianHawk]

That may be case but these missile looks like different parts were hurriedly welded together in some basement .....

Composit parts may be hand welded for prototypes. Serial production should be far smooth.

 

[Chinmoy]

As I said system config will be based on mission reqmt. Though I am quoting similiar systems which have been developed in past with much deliberation. I would like to see mlpgm loaded BMs in our inventory, if they are planned at all. If I am not wrong, mlpgm was a drdo idea and not service reqmt. which itself makes its induction doubtful. I don't think it would be that simple, otherwise we would have seen that in such similiar systems.
PGMs loaded BMs make perfect sense for penetrating high end air defenses and instant launch on targets of fleeting opportunity where airstrike may not be available or just not fast enough.

Correct. No where DRDO officially mentioned that Pralay would be loaded with MLPGM like warhead and its a wishfull thinking on part of defence enthusiast. So lets leave it like that as of now.

But when it comes to development of MLPGM as just a DRDO idea and not service requirement, let me point out here that DRDO as of their own can't develop a system without a go ahead from respective departments. DRDO is not a private party to carry out R&D of its own. They would require authentication and go ahead from user for any prototype buildup and MLPGM has been tested. We might not see it launched from a BM anytime soon, but it is very much there in service requirement.

 

[lcafanboy]

 

[pipebomb]

@Chinmoy @Karthi
is defence decode's amit's interpretation of "defeat interceptor missile" correct?


Pralay' quasi ballistic missile developed to defeat interceptor missiles: Sources

Acceleration seems(could be wrong) comparatively low to iskander,lora etc.