Prahaar Short Range Tactical Ballistic Missile

India is placed at such a place in this world that it has got some highly volatile neighbours. A China which keeps extending it's pre defined boundaries violates international pacts and subjugates other's opinion. A Pakistan which always had an unstable history of Military Dictatorship overthrowing a democratic government and invading India. After 1999 when Pakistan acquired nuclear weapons with the help of China, they described their nuclear capability as ‘minimum credible deterrance’ to prevent high intensity invasion from India. They successfully developed what they describe as developed as a "low-yield battlefield deterrent” tactical nuclear warheads. To deploy these nukes they developed a weapon system which is said to be targeted at "mechanized forces like armed brigades and divisions”.


Under India’s no first use doctrine, the country would absorb the first nuclear strike and then should have adequate residual capability for the second strike. As pointed out by W.Selvamurthy, Chief Controller of Research and Development (Life Sciences and Human Resources) of the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), since India is wedded to the doctrine of no first use of its nuclear weapons, it needs to have a robust second strike capability. In the ultimate analysis, the class and range of missiles in the Indian arsenal should be capable of giving Indian defence forces a head-start in the warfare involving conventional weapons and nuclear devices and ensure the territorial integrity of the country against any misadventure from the belligerent neighbours.

Prahaar is a solid fuel Surface-to-Surface guided short range tactical ballistic missile developed by Defence Research and Development Organisation of India. It is specifically designed for tactical strikes against close range targets and to provide Indian Army with an all-weather , quick reaction , cost effective , high accurate battle field support tactical system to strike tactical and strategic targets.

What is a Tactical Ballistic Missile System ?

1. It is designed for short range battlefield use and mainly the range is limited to 300 kilometres.
2. Tactical ballistic missiles are usually mobile to ensure survivability and quick deployment, as well as carrying a variety of warheads to target enemy facilities, assembly areas, artillery, and other targets behind the front lines. Warheads can include conventional high explosive, chemical, biological, or nuclear warheads.
3. Tactical ballistic missiles fill the gap between conventional rocket artillery and longer-range short range ballistic missile. Tactical missiles can carry heavy payloads deep behind enemy lines in comparison to rockets or tube artillery, while having better mobility and less expense than the more strategic theatre missiles. Additionally, due to their mobility, tactical missiles are better suited to responding to developments on the battlefield.
4. Newer air defense systems have improved ability to intercept tactical missiles, but still can not reliably protect assets against ballistic missile threats. This allows a moderate force of missiles to threaten a superior enemy by penetrating their air defenses better than with conventional aircraft, while providing a deeper strike than conventional artillery.

Development :-
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It was developed by DRDO Scientists in a quick time span of less than 2 years. Prahar was test-fired successfully on 21 July 2011 from the Integrated Test Range (ITR) at Chandipur,India . During the test Prahar travelled a distance of 150 km in about 250 seconds meeting all launch objectives and striking pre-designated target in the Bay of Bengal with a high degree of accuracy of less than 10 m. After the Missile was test fired the DRDO Scientist said, “ The sophisticated missile was test fired from ITR’s launch pad-3 at about 8:15 am leaving behind its trajectory in an orange and white ribbon of smoke”.And he added that The missile witnessed a smooth vertical take-off from the launch pad and vital parameters will be analysed after mission data is retrieved.

​The uniqueness of the missile system is that "in one salvo, six missiles can be fired with multiple targets," said a scientist associated with this project.This short range missile would be an `excellent weapon` which would fill the gap between unguided multi-barrel rocket system `Pinaka` with 40 km range and guided missiles like `Prithvi`, which can strike at 250 km to 350 km range. The missile fills the short-range tactical battlefield missile role as required by the Indian Army and the Indian Air Force, to take out strategic and tactical targets. In 2013 reports suggested that Prahaar would replace short range Prthvi-1 when declared operational.

Many indian bloggers believe that prahaar is derived from endo-atmospheric interceptor aad. Or atleats shares a common core stage. Back in time in 2007 it was reported by tarmak007 that an ssm would be derived from aad.

( Above Prahaar Missile , Below AAD interceptor )

Design Features :

The missile body has a length of 7.3 metres , diameter of 0.42 metres and weighs 1280 kg during launch. It can carry a conventional or nuclear warhead of 200 kg. In salvo mode, six Prahaar Missile can be fired at multiple targets. It is hghly maneuverable capable of precision strikes at over 150 kilometres. Prahaar is carried by 8×8 TATRA Transporter Erector Launcher. The mobile launch platform will carry six missiles, which can have different kind of warheads meant for different targets and can be fired in salvo mode in all directions covering the entire azimuth plane. Each missile is belived to be vertically launched . It is also suggested that reloads happen quite quickly what is called as a "ripple firing mode" .

The Missile can be launched within 2-3 minutes without any preparation ,providing significantly better reaction time than any other liquid fuel missiles. In fact, any target whose location is known within the range of the missile can be attacked within less than 10 minutes from the launch decision.

Pragati missile has integrated onboard avionics system to reduce the size. It uses Jet-vanes based Thrust Vector Control (TVC) during the boost phase. Which provides high accuracy.

Another important characteristics of the missile is use of Aero-Dynamic Control (ADC) using electromechanical actuator (EMA) system for the remaining flight trajectory.

The missile system has quick deployment with salvo firing capability. The system includes One Battery Control Center (BCC) command & Control four launchers via Fiber Optic/LOS wireless link.

The Mobile Launcher System (MLS) is configured on High Mobility Vehicle (HMV) and it is an all electro-mechanical auto leveling and articulation system for easy deployment and maintenance free operation. MLS is configured on the state of art computer based launcher control system for automatic operation powered through dedicated on board DG sets or PTO.

Guidance System :

The missile uses a combination of inertial guidance and terminal active radar homing guidance. The inertial guidance takes the missile somewhere nearer to the target based upon a precalculated flight trajectory. But to accurately hit the target the missile must know where it is. So we use a onboard radar and because since the radar transceiver has to be small enough to fit inside a missile and has to be powered from batteries, therefore having a relatively low ERP, its range is limited. This why the radar is activated when Missile is taken very nearer to the target

The Terminal active radar homing ensures very high accuracy. This guidance method is used in Anti-Ship and BVR air to air missile. The missile has a radar at its tip that scans the area, finds the target , tracks it and later homes in and destroys the target. In case of Ballistic Missiles like Prahaar it is very unlikely that it would face any ECM resistance. Because since active seekers emit radiations they also alert the enemy's RF sensors in return. Many times ECM is employed to disrupt the seeker. Such a thing happens more in case of a BVR air to air missile or an AntiShip Missile. But here such possiblities are low.

( diagram explaining active radar homing and other guidance types )

Inertial guidance was installed in long-range ballistic missiles in the 1950s, but, with advances in miniaturized circuitry, microcomputers, and inertial sensors, it became common in tactical weapons after the 1970s. Inertial systems involved the use of small, highly accurate gyroscopic platforms to continuously determine the position of the missile in space. These provided inputs to guidance computers, which used the position information in addition to inputs from accelerometers or integrating circuits to calculate velocity and direction. The guidance computer, which was programmed with the desired flight path, then generated commands to maintain the course.

Missile Guidance

Click on the above button to know more about Guidance Systems of Missiles.
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Prahaar is integrated with a Inertial navigation System for detecting the location of its targets. It is also integrated with a Terminal Active radar Homing Missile Guidance system that autonomously find and track target.

Inertial guidance system, electronic system that continuously monitors the position, velocity, and acceleration of a vehicle, usually a submarine, missile, or airplane, and thus provides navigational data or control without need for communicating with a base station. The basic components of an inertial guidance system are gyroscopes, accelerometres and a computer. The gyroscopes provide fixed reference directions or turning rate measurements, and accelerometers measure changes in the velocity of the system. The computer processes information on changes in direction and acceleration and feeds its results to the vehicle’s navigation system.

Active radar homing (ARH) is a missile guidance method in which a missilecontains a radar transceiver (in contrast to semi-active radar homing, which uses only a receiver) and the electronics necessary for it to find and track its target autonomously.

Propulsion and Performance :

The missile has solid fuel and it can be easily stored and deployed at quick notice also. It can have a operational range of 150 km and flight altitude of 35 km.The average speed of missile is Mach 2.03 (2486.84 km/h).It can cover its full range in just 250 seconds and hit the target with accuracy less than 10 m. This solid-fuelled missile can be launched within 2–3 minutes without any preparation, providing significantly better reaction time than liquid-fuelled Prithvi ballistic missiles and act as a gap filler in the 150 km (93 mi) range, between the Pinaka MBRL and Smerch MBRL in one end and the Prithvi Ballistic Missiles on the other.

Thus, the solid-fuelled ‘Prahaar’ is, in essence, a product that overcomes all the deficiencies displayed by the Prithvi family of battlefield support missiles (the SS-150, SS-250 and SS-350), which makes uses of liquid fuel and is consequently cumbersome both in terms of transportation and launch readiness procedures. Furthermore, the 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. In contrast, the ‘Prahaar’ reportedly boasts a three-element flight-control system, with the third and final stage comprising only the maneuvering warhead section. The ‘Prahaar’ will eventually 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.

The missile equipped with state-of-the-art high accuracy navigation, guidance and electro mechanical actuation systems with latest onboard computer achieved terminal accuracy of less than 10 meters.

Export :

India developed 'Pragati' which has a range of 60 km-170 km and will be offered for export to friendly countries. It is based on Prahaar Missile with minor differences and can be termed as an export variant. The new missile meets the limitations of MTCR limiting the export of missile technology carrying warheads heavier than half a ton beyond 300 kilometers. As such, it is positioned to compete with a number of similar weapons already available from the China, Iran, Israel, North Korea, Russia and the USA. Pragati was showcased at International Aerospace and Defence Exhibition ADEX-2013 in South Korea. However after a revelation by a popular Indian media-house led to a much controversy over it.

In a major security lapse, the missile didn't return home and lay unguarded, vulnerable and exposed at South Korean port for a month.

There is a series of violations in the journey of Pragati missile to South Korea.

• ​The first violation is that the Pragati missile sent to South Korea for the exhibition wasn't a dummy missile but an actual prototype that was to be used for a live firing.
• Second, the logistical handling of the missile in South Korea was outsourced to a local agent of Chinese-origin. ​
• Third, the prototype missile missed its ship back to India, stranding it unguarded and vulnerable at the Incheon port for an entire month.
• Finally, it lumbered back to India as unprotected commercial cargo without the safeguards it needed as sensitive military hardware.

Strategic Implications :-

The arch enemy of India, Pakistan has fielded tactical ballistic missiles like Nasr Tactical Missile which they say was employed in wake of India's "Cold Start" Doctrine to destroy Indian armoured column in 'tactical nuclear strikes'. However it lacks the range to strike Indian cities and strategic bases. Prahaar will come in main role here as its range and features give it an advantage to strike Pakistani strategic targets like Airbases at over 150 km. This is reminiscent of U.S. Army plans to use extensive tactical ballistic missiles to target Iraqi Airbases and depots to pave way for attack helicopters to carry out missions without any specific risk to pilots.

Prahaar is very hard to be intercepted by anti-air defence systems and being easily transportable as compared to Prithvi Missiles and the capability and can be fired in ripple firing mode in a gap of less than 5 seconds which will be an 'overkill'. Since it is a tactical ballistic missile it can be fired using conventional warheads too ( unlike Prithvi Missiles ) and will not escalate the situation to a nuclear war. The Prahaar would provide the army's invading battle groups with lethal fire support, striking Pakistani headquarters far behind the frontlines, and destroying roads, railways, bridges and other communications infrastructure that are essential for rushing Pakistani forces to the border.
Unlike the DRDO's Prithvi missile, which was introduced into service as a 150-kilometre range, nuclear-capable ballistic missile, the Prahaar is categorised as a "battlefield tactical missile".

Its maximum payload of 200 kg allow the Prahaar to carry a tactical nuclear weapon. But while nuclear capable ballistic missiles are useful only in the nightmarish eventuality of nuclear war, the Prahaar can be useful at every stage of a Cold Start campaign. The Prahaar system has the ability to take out multiple targets in a salvo fire with each of the six missile imaging and finding its own target. Such a system would be required to takeout a mobile Nasr system by individually targeting each of its components - launcher, control vehicle, generator vehicle, etc. It was completely dumb idea for Nasr developers to think that India would send armoured columns which can be destroyed by what they call 'tactical nuclear warhead'. Indian space based assets would simply pin point and monitor the movement of Nasr launchers, making it easy to hit them and send armoured columns afterwards.

There has also been accusations that Prahaar is an India-Paint schemed LORA Missile developed in Israel. This is mainly due to the fact that Indian army issued a request for proposals (RFP) long ago for the development and production of a short-range, tactical, surface-to-surface missile. The main competitors were Israel, which proposed the LORA (long-range attack) missile developed by Israel Aerospace Industries' Malam plant; and Russia, which proposed the Iskander missile. India delayed its decision for a long time and the new missile only debuted in July. 

However the missiles differ a lot in design features and capability and cannot be called a copied version of original LORA missile. 

The Status of deployment has till now, not been revealed. It was declared operational long back.

References :-

1. Wikipedia
2. aermech.in
3. indiatoday.in
4. reddif.com
5. missilethreat.csis.org
6. Army Recognition