The Indian Army has initiated a new procurement under Mission Sudarshan Chakra to strengthen low-altitude air defence capabilities along the Pakistan border by acquiring six AK-630 30mm multi-barrel air defence guns. These systems will enhance the security of border regions, especially civilian and religious establishments, following lessons learned from Operation Sindoor.

Mission Sudarshan Chakra, launched on Independence Day 2025, aims to establish a fully indigenous, multi-layered security shield by 2035. The mission integrates surveillance, cyber defence, and kinetic air defence layers into a unified architecture to protect critical national assets.

It is aligned with the Aatmanirbhar Bharat framework to achieve technological self-reliance and create a defensive as well as offensive capability against evolving aerial threats.

The Request for Proposal (RFP) issued by the Indian Army’s Air Defence Directorate seeks six AK-630 air defence systems from Advanced Weapons and Equipment India Ltd (AWEIL), a state-owned firm. Each system is a mobile 30mm multi-barrel gun mounted on a trailer and towed by a high-mobility vehicle, making it deployable across varying terrains near the border regions of Punjab and Jammu & Kashmir.

The AK-630 gun system is designed to intercept and neutralise URAM threats—comprising Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs), rockets, artillery shells, and mortar projectiles. It will be critical for protecting population centres and religious sites close to the International Border and the Line of Control.

The system has an effective range of up to 4 km and a cyclic rate of fire of approximately 3,000 rounds per minute, providing a dense fire curtain against incoming aerial threats. Target detection and tracking will rely on an all-weather electro-optical fire control system for enhanced precision and 24x7 operations.

The AK-630 systems will form one of the outer kinetic layers in the Sudarshan Chakra defence shield. They will operate alongside other indigenous systems under development, including DRDO’s radar-based detection nets, laser jamming devices, and anti-drone solutions. Once integrated, this layered grid will offer comprehensive protection against both conventional and asymmetric aerial attacks across border zones and strategic depth areas.

The procurement comes amid heightened tensions following Operation Sindoor, during which Pakistan reportedly targeted civilian structures along the border. In response, the Indian Army has been reinforcing its forward defences and bolstering deterrence capabilities. Army Chief Gen Upendra Dwivedi has warned Pakistan that any further provocation will invite decisive retaliation under planned Operation Sindoor 2.0.

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh’s recent visit to the Army Air Defence units in Bhuj underscored the government’s focus on rapid modernisation. These units had successfully intercepted multiple incoming Pakistani aerial threats during earlier cross-border attacks, demonstrating India’s growing readiness and technological capability in short-range air defence warfare.

This AK-630 induction under Mission Sudarshan Chakra thus marks a foundation step in building India’s indigenous low-altitude interception network, designed to guard both military and civilian frontiers against evolving cross-border aerial threats through the next decade.

BAsed On ANI Report