According to reports, the Philippines is eager to investigate obtaining the Pralay ballistic missile as part of extending its bilateral defence collaboration with New Delhi, following its successful procurement of the BrahMos supersonic cruise missile system from India in 2022.
WION claims that this development reflects the Philippines’ increasing emphasis on updating its armed forces with cutting-edge missile systems that can sustain tactical superiority in the area.
In close cooperation with Bharat Dynamics Limited (BDL) and Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL), India’s Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) created the Pralay missile system, a new generation of solid-fuelled battlefield support missiles intended to destroy highly valuable and well-defended enemy targets.
Pralay is a road-mobile, cannisterized, quick-reaction missile system that can be deployed quickly, according to technological specifications. Depending on the specifics of the operation, it can deliver accurate attacks at ranges of 150 to 500 km, with the potential for additional range extensions.
With a top speed of Mach 6.1, it falls into the hypersonic range, which lowers the possibility of being intercepted while in flight. The missile may launch a range of conventional payloads, including as Runway Denial Penetration Submunitions, Penetration-cum-Blast warheads, and High Explosive Preformed Fragmentation (HE-PFF), allowing for flexible target destruction in a number of tactical conditions. Depending on the needs of the mission, these warheads might weigh anywhere from 350 to 1,000 kilogrammes.
In order to ensure precise strikes against valuable, fortified, or mobile targets, Pralay is notably guided by a highly accurate Inertial Navigation System (INS) for its mid-course trajectory. In the terminal phase, it is further enhanced by a Millimetre-Wave Digital Scene Matching Area Correlator (DSMAC) and radar imaging technologies. It may manoeuvre in mid-air due to its quasi-ballistic trajectory, which deviates from a strictly parabolic path.
This capability significantly increases its survivability against enemy air defence and ballistic missile interception systems when combined with manoeuvrable re-entry vehicle (MaRV) technology.
With a setup-to-launch time of just ten minutes and a command-to-launch sequence that can be finished in 60 seconds, the missile system is mounted on a 12×12 Ashok Leyland Heavy Mobility Vehicle (HMV) transporter erector launcher (TEL), allowing for quick deployment. This is essential for wartime preparedness and responsiveness.
Strategically, Pralay’s admission into the Philippine Armed Forces would enhance its maritime deterrent already acquired with the BrahMos acquisition and mark a major advancement in its land-based deterrence capacity.
The $375 million BrahMos contract directly challenged China’s hegemony in the South China Sea by expanding the Philippines’ options for offensive strikes in the maritime sector. The Philippines can extend this deterrent into land-based operations by adding Pralay to its arsenal, so establishing a more asymmetrical stance against possible enemies in the disputed Indo-Pacific area.
According to reports, Armenia is in advanced negotiations with India to purchase the Pralay missile system, in addition to the Philippines. The ongoing dispute between Armenia and Azerbaijan over the Nagorno-Karabakh region is the source of Armenia’s interest. Yerevan seems set to become the first foreign operator of Pralay as tensions rise and Armenia emerges as one of India’s top arms importers in recent years.
Indeed, tests of the missile were reportedly observed by an Armenian defence delegation in July 2025, indicating grave intentions. With contracts totalling more than $1.5 billion between 2022 and 2024, Armenia’s broader defence ties with India have expanded rapidly. These contracts cover cutting-edge systems like the Ashwin Ballistic Missile Defence Interceptors, Pinaka Multi-Barrel Rocket Launchers, ATAGS howitzers, and Akash-1S Surface-to-Air Missiles.
With its profile progressively increasing under the “Make in India” program and greater self-reliance in defence production, India’s export potential of the Pralay missile highlights its rise as a credible global defence supplier. This initiative has already established New Delhi as a top weaponry exporter for South Caucasus war-torn nations like Armenia as well as Southeast Asian allies like the Philippines.
More significantly, these agreements provide India the ability to use military sales as a means of enhancing diplomatic ties and expanding its geostrategic influence, especially in areas where China, its rival, is still making strong territorial claims.
In particular, arming the Philippines with BrahMos and possibly Pralay will boost regional trust in India’s security role and provide deterrence against Chinese maritime assertiveness in the South China Sea in Southeast Asia.
The Pralay missile bridges the gap between India’s cruise missiles like BrahMos and its short-range precision strike systems like Prahaar, adding a new dimension to the country’s tactical offensive capabilities. Pralay provides partner countries like the Philippines and Armenia with a potent land-based deterrence option thanks to its quick reaction time, hypersonic speed, sophisticated guidance, and anti-defence evasion capability.
In addition to enhancing bilateral defence ties, its possible entrance into foreign forces will raise India’s profile as a defence exporter in hotly disputed areas and solidify its position as a rising centre of military technology and geopolitical power.
