Mission Sudarshan Chakra: Indian Army to procure high-firing multi-barrel air defence guns for deployment near Pakistan border

The tender for buying the air defence system has been issued as part of lessons learnt during Operation Sindoor, where the Pakistan Army carried out direct attacks on civilians and religious buildings in Jammu and Kashmir and Punjab. (ANI Photo)

In a move aimed at strengthening the security of population centres and religious sites near the Pakistan border, the Indian Army has issued a tender to procure six AK-630 30mm air defence guns from a state-owned firm, ANI reported. The procurement is being seen as a key component of Mission Sudarshan Chakra, India’s long-term plan to create a multi-layered indigenous security shield by 2035.

The tender follows lessons learned from Operation Sindoor, during which the Pakistan Army carried out direct attacks on civilians and religious buildings in Jammu and Kashmir and Punjab, officials said.

“Indian Army Air Defence has floated an RFP for the procurement of six AK630 Air Defence Gun Systems with Advanced Weapon and Equipment India Ltd (AWEIL). The system sought is a 30mm multi-barrel mobile air defence gun system with a high rate of fire,” defence officials told ANI.

According to officials, the gun system will be mounted on a trailer and towed by a high-mobility vehicle, and is designed to counter threats from UAVs, rockets, artillery, and mortars (URAM).

“AK630 will be utilised to thwart the threat from URAM (Unmanned Aerial Vehicles, Rocket, Artillery and Mortar) and will be used for the protection of key population centres and Centres of Faith in close proximity to the international border and Line of Control,” they said.

The AK-630 system will have a range of up to 4 km and a cyclic rate of fire of around 3,000 rounds per minute, with detection achieved through an all-weather Electro-Optical Fire Control System, officials added.

The system will be integrated into India’s broader air defence architecture and form an essential pillar of the Sudarshan Chakra shield currently under development.

Mission Sudarshan Chakra, launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Independence Day 2025, seeks to combine surveillance, cyber defence, and air defence technologies to safeguard key national assets, while advancing the Aatmanirbhar Bharat initiative in defence manufacturing.

Army Chief Gen Upendra Dwivedi had recently warned Pakistan against terrorist activities, stating that India “will not show restraint” in Operation Sindoor 2.0.

The Army Air Defence branch has played a crucial role in countering Pakistani drone and aerial intrusions, and the new AK-630 systems are expected to enhance that capability significantly.

*With Agency Inputs