The Philippines, after successfully acquiring the BrahMos supersonic cruise missile system from India in 2022, is now reported to be keen on exploring the acquisition of the Pralay ballistic missile as part of expanding its bilateral defence partnership with New Delhi. According to WION, this development represents the Philippines’ growing focus on modernising its defence forces with advanced missile systems capable of maintaining tactical superiority in the region.
The Pralay missile system, developed by India’s Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) in close collaboration with Bharat Dynamics Limited (BDL) and Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL), represents a new-generation, solid-fuelled, battlefield support missile designed specifically to neutralise high-value and heavily protected enemy targets.
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From a technical perspective, Pralay is a road-mobile, cannisterised, quick-reaction missile system capable of achieving rapid deployment. It can deliver precision strikes at ranges between 150 and 500 kilometres, with the possibility of further range extensions depending on mission parameters.
Its top speed of Mach 6.1 places it in the hypersonic category, thereby reducing the chance of interception during flight. The missile is equipped to deliver a variety of conventional payloads including High Explosive Preformed Fragmentation (HE-PFF), Penetration-cum-Blast warheads, and Runway Denial Penetration Submunitions, enabling flexibility in target destruction across multiple battlefield scenarios. These warheads can weigh anywhere between 350 kilograms to 1,000 kilograms depending on the operational requirement.
Significantly, Pralay is guided by a highly accurate Inertial Navigation System (INS) for its mid-course trajectory, supplemented in the terminal phase by a Millimetre-Wave Digital Scene Matching Area Correlator (DSMAC) and radar imaging technologies, ensuring precision strikes against high-value, fortified, or mobile targets. Its trajectory is quasi-ballistic, which means it does not follow a purely parabolic path but can maneuver mid-flight.
Coupled with manoeuvrable re-entry vehicle (MaRV) technology, this feature drastically enhances its survivability against hostile air defence and ballistic missile interception systems.
The missile system is mounted on a 12×12 Ashok Leyland Heavy Mobility Vehicle (HMV) transporter erector launcher (TEL), enabling rapid deployment with a setup-to-launch time of only ten minutes, while the actual command-to-launch sequence can be completed within 60 seconds—vital for wartime readiness and responsiveness.
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Strategically, the induction of Pralay into the Philippines Armed Forces would represent a significant leap in its land-based deterrence capability, complementing the naval deterrence it already gained through the BrahMos acquisition.
The BrahMos deal, valued at $375 million, enhanced the Philippines’ offensive strike options in the maritime domain, acting as a direct counterbalance to China’s dominance in the South China Sea. By adding Pralay to its arsenal, the Philippines can extend this deterrence into land-based operations, effectively creating a more asymmetric posture against potential adversaries in the contested Indo-Pacific theatre.
Beyond the Philippines, Armenia is also reportedly in advanced talks with India for the procurement of the Pralay missile system. Armenia’s interest stems from its ongoing conflict with Azerbaijan over the Nagorno-Karabakh region. With tensions escalating and Armenia emerging as one of India’s top arms buyers in recent years, Yerevan appears poised to become the first foreign operator of Pralay.
In fact, an Armenian defence delegation reportedly witnessed tests of the missile in July 2025, signalling serious intent. Armenia’s wider defence ties with India have grown exponentially, with contracts exceeding $1.5 billion between 2022 and 2024, covering advanced systems like the Akash-1S Surface-to-Air Missiles, Pinaka Multi-Barrel Rocket Launchers, ATAGS howitzers, and Ashwin Ballistic Missile Defence Interceptors.
For India, the export potential of the Pralay missile underscores its emergence as a credible global defence supplier, with its profile steadily rising under the “Make in India” policy and wider self-reliance in defence production. This drive has already positioned New Delhi as a preferred arms exporter for both Southeast Asian partners like the Philippines and conflict-stricken states like Armenia in the South Caucasus.
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More importantly, these deals enable India to leverage arms exports as a tool for greater diplomatic engagement and geostrategic influence, particularly in regions where its adversary, China, continues to assert itself aggressively.
In Southeast Asia, specifically, arming the Philippines with BrahMos and potentially Pralay will enhance deterrence against Chinese maritime assertiveness in the South China Sea and strengthen regional confidence in India’s role as a security provider.
The Pralay missile represents a new dimension of India’s tactical offensive capabilities, bridging the gap between India’s short-range precision strike systems like Prahaar and cruise missiles like BrahMos. With a rapid response time, hypersonic speed, advanced guidance, and anti-defence evasion capability, Pralay offers a formidable land-based deterrence option for partner nations like the Philippines and Armenia.
Its potential induction into foreign armies would not only strengthen bilateral defence ties but also amplify India’s defence export profile in strategically contested regions, bolstering its standing as an emerging pole of military technology and geopolitical influence.
Based On WION Report
Agency
