Under Mission Sudarshan Chakra, India To deploy AK-630 Air Defence Guns Along Pakistan Border: What Are They?

India is tightening its border defences. The Indian Army has issued a tender to procure six AK-630 30mm air defence guns, aiming to bolster the security of population centres and religious sites near the Pakistan border. The procurement forms part of Mission Sudarshan Chakra— a long-term plan to create a multi-layered indigenous security shield by 2035.

The decision follows lessons learned from Operation Sindoor earlier this year, when Pakistan’s military targeted civilian and religious sites in Jammu and Kashmir and Punjab, prompting the Indian Army to prioritise localised air defence coverage.

What are the AK-630 systems? What will they add to India’s defences?

According to defence officials quoted by ANI, the Army Air Defence branch has floated a Request for Proposal (RFP) for six AK-630 air defence gun systems with state-owned Advanced Weapon and Equipment India Ltd (AWEIL). The system is a 30mm multi-barrel mobile gun capable of firing at a rate of 3,000 rounds per minute and will be mounted on a high-mobility trailer platform.

Designed to counter UAVs, rockets, artillery, and mortar rounds—collectively known as URAM threats—the AK-630s will provide close-range protection for critical population hubs and religious structures near the international border and the Line of Control. Equipped with an all-weather Electro-Optical Fire Control System, each system will have a range of up to four kilometres, enabling rapid target detection and engagement in dynamic environments.

Officials said the system would integrate seamlessly into India’s existing air defence network, ensuring real-time coordination with radar and missile batteries already positioned in the northern and western sectors.

What is AK-630’s role in Mission Sudarshan Chakra?

Mission Sudarshan Chakra, launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Independence Day 2025, aims to combine surveillance, cyber, and air defence systems to form a unified protective network around key national assets. By 2035, the mission envisions a self-reliant, multi-layered shield built entirely from indigenous technologies.

The AK-630 procurement, though limited in number, is a key building block in that architecture. It strengthens the short-range defence layer, complementing longer-range systems like Akash, QRSAM, and the Indo-Israeli MRSAM. The programme is also expected to generate new manufacturing and integration opportunities for Indian defence firms under the Aatmanirbhar Bharat initiative.

How does it relate to Pakistan and Operation Sindoor 2.0?

The procurement comes days after Army Chief General Upendra Dwivedi warned Pakistan against continuing its support for terrorism, declaring that India “will not show restraint” in Operation Sindoor 2.0. His remarks, delivered at an Army post in Rajasthan, signalled that any repeat of cross-border terror or aerial intrusions would invite decisive retaliation.

During Operation Sindoor in May, India carried out long-range precision strikes on nine terror camps in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir following the Pahalgam attack. The Indian Army later revealed that Pakistan had used drones and artillery to target civilian zones, prompting the shift toward bolstering point-defence systems like the AK-630.

With this procurement, the Indian Army is visibly strengthening its capacity to protect border towns and religious sites from future strikes—preparing not just for the next battle, but to prevent one.