New Delhi: As armed forces around the world increasingly adopt artificial intelligence, the Indian Army is keeping pace by actively collaborating with academia and industry. During Operation Sindoor, which lasted 72 hours, the Indian Army achieved over 94% accuracy in locating and enabling targets. Lieutenant General Rajiv Sahni, who served as the Director General of Information Systems (DGIS) during the operation, credited this success to the effective use of artificial intelligence (AI). The AI systems mined 26 years of historical data on Pakistan Army movements, enabling the Indian Army to carry out precise, pinpoint targeting throughout the operation.

Talking to reporters in Delhi, Lt Gen Rajiv Sahni, currently serving as the Directorate General of Electronics & Mechanical Engineers (DG EME), said that all data of adversary were collected by integrating feeds from all sensors, radars, satellites and drones on a single screen for the commander to take a quick decision. The data, include positions, weapon and equipment and movement. Lt Gen Sahni stated that“We built the battlefield model from 26 years of archived radio emissions and frequency signatures. The archive not only captured the spectral fingerprints of transmissions but also mapped past movements of individual platforms and their assigned units across Pakistan.”

“With this modelling and live feed, 94 per cent accuracy was achieved, allowing us to pinpoint where a particular machine, such as a gun or missile unit, would be located on the border,” he added. He further said that the infrastructure enables other services – the Indian Navy and Indian Air Force – to use the same data. The Army even got the India Meteorological Department (IMD) to provide weather data. A specialised 'app' – 'Anuman' was developed in-house by the Indian Army makes a forecast of 200 km into enemy territory, providing usable data to military commanders on wind speed, wind direction, and other factors needed to calculate the trajectory of long-range missiles using AI.

Electronic Intelligence Collation

The data-based targeting was possible because the home-grown application for 'electronic intelligence collation' was modified in record time during Operation Sindoor. This enabled a common surveillance picture, allowing for target acquisition. This enhanced coordination of resources, improved decision-making, and provided commanders at all levels with greater agility and situational awareness, Gen Sahni stated. Designated 2024-2025 as the“Year of Technology Absorption”, the Indian Army has included establishing dedicated AI cells to foster collaboration among armed forces, R & D institutions, academia, and industry. It is also to create secure cloud-based and edge-computing environments for battlefield applications.A parallel programme is underway to develop 'smart weapons' and AI-enabled autonomous systems, such as drones and unmanned vehicles, while upgrading existing platforms with predictive maintenance and decision-support modules. In December 2024, Indian Army chief General Upendra Dwivedi has inaugurated an Army AI Research and Incubation Centre (AARIC) in Bengaluru to give a boost to AI project development through partnerships with DRDO, academia, and industry. Besides, the Indian Army is also working on an indigenous unified 'AI platform' that will integrate operational, intelligence, logistics, and training applications on a single secure framework.

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