New Delhi: The Indian Army has released a request for proposal (RFP) to acquire AK-630 air defence guns from the state-owned Advanced Weapon and Equipment India Ltd (AWEIL) as part of the Mission Sudarshan Chakra, a significant national security initiative introduced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his Independence Day address. Defence officials stated, “Indian Army Air Defence has floated an RFP for the procurement of six AK-630 Air Defence Gun Systems with AWEIL.” The sought system is a 30mm multi-barrel mobile air defence gun system known for its high rate of fire.
Officials explained that the weapon will be utilized to counter threats from unmanned aerial vehicles, rockets, artillery, and mortars, safeguarding key population centers and places of worship near the international border and Line of Control with Pakistan. The gun system will be mounted on a trailer and towed by a high mobility vehicle, featuring an effective range of up to 4 km and a cyclic rate of fire of up to 3,000 rounds per minute. Detection and engagement will be facilitated through an all-weather Electro-Optical Fire Control system.
The army carried out internal trials of the AK-630s in May, shortly after a ceasefire was requested by Pakistan, and the system reportedly demonstrated proficient performance in neutralizing practice aerial targets, although some areas were identified for improvement.
