New Delhi: Operation Sindoor is the first cross-border operation in a conflict that India has undertaken with heavy use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) that cut the “kill chain” for the Army, and provided exact coordinates of threat to carry out pinpointed strikes with “human in the loop”, a senior Army officer said.
Lieutenant General Rajiv Kumar Sahni, the Director General of Electronics and Mechanical Engineers (DG EME), who was DG Info Systems during Operation Sindoor, acknowledged the dual challenge posed by India’s western and northern adversaries.
“There was both overt and covert support from China to Pakistan…The way things are progressing, this pattern is likely to persist,” he said, briefing a group of media persons in the national capital Monday evening.
Speaking on how the Army used modern technology during Operation Sindoor, he said that AI was fed with 26 years of historical data, which provided the Indian Army with information on Pakistan military movement, enabling pinpoint targeting.
“With this modelling and live feed, 94 percent 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 said.
He said that these capabilities are being upgraded with a military-specific large language model (LLM), which is expected to become operational in about six months from now. He added that AI has become a force multiplier for the Army, which was demonstrated during Operation Sindoor.
A total of 23 applications were brought together to provide a full battlefield picture and post-strike assessment.
“AI-based tools enhanced surveillance, intelligence, and precision targeting. Key systems include the Electronic Intelligence Collation and Analysis System (ECAS), TRINETRA (integrated with Project SANJAY), and predictive modelling and weather forecasting tools—all of which improved coordination and situational awareness,” he said.
The DG added that an in-house app was able to provide exact weather conditions for 48 hours ahead, including the wind speed, which enabled the Army to plan and fire extended range artillery with pinpointed precision.
Asked whether the Army was relying too much on AI to make decisions, he said that they were pursuing responsible and phased AI adoption. “We are focusing on reducing risk to personnel, and improving decision making with human control and strong ethical governance.”
The Army has seen a 1,200 percent increase in users and a 620 percent rise in data storage capacity. These advances have made the Army’s digital backbone more interconnected and efficient, supporting decision-making across all levels, he further said.
(Edited by Mannat Chugh)
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