New Delhi: TheIndian Army has issued a tender to procure AK-630 air defence guns from the state-owned Advanced Weapon and Equipment India Ltd (AWEIL) under Mission Sudarshan Chakra, an ambitious national security initiative announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in his Independence Day address.

“Indian Army Air Defence has floated an RFP (Request for Proposal) for the procurement of six AK-630 Air Defence Gun Systems with AWEIL,” Defence officials said. “The system sought is a 30mm multi-barrel mobile air defence gun system with a high rate of fire.”

According to the officials, the weapon would be “utilised to thwart the threat from URAM (Unmanned aerial vehicles, rocket, artillery and mortar) and for the protection of key population centres and centres of faith in close proximity to the international border and Line of Control (with Pakistan).”

The gun system would be mounted on a trailer and towed by a high mobility vehicle, with 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 would be achieved through an all-weather Electro-Optical Fire Control system.

The army conducted internal trials of the AK-630s in May, just days after the conflict with Pakistan came to a halt following a ceasefire request from Islamabad. The system reportedly performed proficiently, effectively neutralising practice aerial targets, though “some areas had been identified for enhancement.”