India successfully test fires surface-to-surface Prahar missile

Like Pinaka missile,a multiple-rocket system,several Prahar missile can be fired in one salvo. But for Thursday’s test,only one missile was fired.

DRDO sources said Prahar (meaning to strike) with greater accuracy than the unguided missiles currently being used by the Indian Army will fill the gap between Pinaka,the multi-barrel rocket system,which has a range of 45 km and the Prithvi missile that can attack targets 250 km to 350 km away. Prahar can image,take out multiple targets and can be moved to any place. It can carry conventional warheads. It will be a road-mobile weapon—similar to the BrahMos supersonic multi-role cruise missile—with each motorised transporter-erector-launcher (TEL) carrying six cannisterised,vertically-launched missiles armed with conventional warheads. A separate wheeled vehicle is being developed to act as a missile resupply station,carrying six cannistered missile rounds.

DRDO sources said Prithvi was never a quick-reaction system and its flight trajectory can be easily tracked by early warning radars as it is a single-stage missile. But ‘Prahaar’ boasts a three-element flight-control system,with the third and final stage comprising only the manoeuvring warhead section. The ‘Prahaar’ is expected to replace all existing Prithvi SS-150 missiles that are now deployed by the three Missile Groups attached to the Indian Army’s two Field Artillery Divisions.

Being multi-directional and auto loading in nature,Prahar will be extremely useful in emergency situations. Its launch time is estimated to be two to three minutes and no preparation is required. The missile has been under development for the past four years. It was first unveilled last year in scale-model form at the Larsen & Toubro stall during DEFEXPO 2010