India has decisively expanded Pralay missile production by inducting private defence firms alongside Bharat Dynamics Limited, boosting annual output from just forty units to as many as two hundred fifty.
This reflects a structural reform under the Defence Acquisition Procedure 2026, aimed at meeting the armed forces’ growing demand and preparing for the Integrated Rocket Force.
India has opened the production of the Pralay quasi-ballistic missile to the private sector for the first time. The Ministry of Defence has ended Bharat Dynamics Limited’s monopoly, allowing companies such as Adani Defence, Bharat Forge, and Solar Defence to manufacture critical components including the airframe, warhead, and propellant. This marks a major departure from decades of reliance on a single public sector undertaking.
The Defence Acquisition Procedure 2026 has created a framework for private participation in missile programmes. The Defence Research and Development Organisation has distributed between ten and twelve tactical missile projects among both public and private firms.
This hybrid model ensures that Bharat Dynamics Limited and Bharat Electronics Limited remain involved, but no longer dominate the sector.
The Pralay missile itself is a solid-fuelled, road-mobile, quasi-ballistic system with a range of 150 to 500 kilometres. It is designed for precision strikes against high-value targets such as enemy bases, logistics hubs, and air defence systems.
Its manoeuvrable trajectory makes it difficult to intercept, providing the Indian Army and Air Force with a potent conventional deterrent. Successful user evaluation trials in December 2025 confirmed its operational readiness.
Annual production capacity is being scaled up dramatically. From a modest forty missiles per year, output will now rise to between one hundred fifty and two hundred fifty missiles annually. This is being achieved through four parallel assembly lines operated by both public and private industry. Such expansion is vital to meet the orders already placed by the armed forces.
The Indian Army and Air Force have together ordered nearly three hundred seventy Pralay missiles, representing contracts worth thousands of crores. Much larger numbers are anticipated as India establishes its new Integrated Rocket Force, a dedicated formation for missile warfare.
This force is expected to mirror similar structures in China and Pakistan, providing India with coordinated strike capabilities across theatres.
Private sector involvement is not limited to Pralay. Other projects include the Naval Anti-Ship Missile – Short Range, the Rudram series of supersonic and hypersonic air-to-surface missiles, the Very Short-Range Air Defence System, the Long-Range Glide Bomb, and UAV-launched precision guided weapons. These collaborations highlight the breadth of India’s missile modernisation drive.
The government’s decision is also linked to broader strategic imperatives. Recent conflicts, including the US-Israel-Iran war, have underscored the importance of tactical missiles in modern warfare.
India, long dependent on imports for such systems, is determined to achieve self-reliance under the Atmanirbhar Bharat initiative. By involving private industry, the government aims to accelerate development cycles, enhance innovation, and build resilience in the defence ecosystem.
Defence Secretary Rajesh Kumar Singh has further indicated that ballistic missile production may also be opened to private firms. This would represent an even more profound transformation of India’s defence industrial base, extending private participation into domains previously reserved exclusively for public sector undertakings.
The aggressive expansion of missile production reflects India’s recognition that precision strike systems are central to future warfare. By scaling up Pralay and other tactical missiles, India is not only meeting immediate operational requirements but also laying the foundation for a robust indigenous missile ecosystem capable of supporting long-term strategic objectives.
Agencies
