The Indian Army is set to deploy new home-developed software, including artificial intelligence-based tools, to bolster intelligence and surveillance capabilities along the border areas. The software aims to profile adversaries' military equipment, and enable faster decision-making through AI-enabled predictive analysis.
Aiming to enhance its intelligence and surveillance capabilities across the border areas, the Indian Army will be inducting home-developed new software to profile not only the adversaries’ military equipment but also to use the information in a better way. Sources in the defence and security establishment said: "We have been receiving the intelligence inputs in bulk numbers, with induction of artificial intelligence-based software we can be able to draw and utilise inputs."
Among the scores of tools, an artificial intelligence-based software will collect electronic signatures of the equipment across the borders and profile them. It will help in ascertaining their movement in future, they said.
Another software, which will help the commanders on the ground to make decisions faster, is AI-enabled predictive analysis. It will help in faster response against the enemy as the inputs come in bulk numbers.
Based on the credibility of the sources, the tool would help in processing inputs and grading them efficiently. The software, which collects the electronic signature, would help in getting a sense of the enemy’s Order of Battle (ORBAT) after detecting the electronic signature of the arms, equipment and vehicles.
"We will get to know about the movement of enemy military formations as the electronic signature would be registered like a fingerprint," said a source.
Satellite or radars-picked data will help in analysing and predicting the inputs. By leveraging the power of digital technologies, the Indian Army can enhance its operational readiness, intelligence gathering, and tactical responses.
The Indian Army and the Ministry of Electronics and Telecommunication (MeitY) have been collaborating to bridge the defence and technology gap. It is being seen as an important shift in India’s defence strategy, at a time when the troops of India and China are engaged into border standoff in eastern Ladakh for around four years now. The MEITY will share all the relevant data with the Army.
"This partnership is aimed at, moving beyond hardware, developing military-grade applications, advanced electronics and IT infrastructure, aligned seamlessly with the national vision encapsulated in the Digital India and Make in India initiatives," a source said.
In the last six meeting, the Indian Army and the MEITY has held 7-8 meetings at different levels. The Indian Army chief, Gen Manoj Pande and MoS MEITY Rajeev Chandrasekhar also met twice, wherein the force had apprised about its requirements.
In November, Rajeev Chandrashekhar, visited Army Headquarters, reinforcing collaborative efforts for technological advancements. In order to mark a 5G test bed, the Army has set up 5G labs at various locations, including the Military College of Telecommunication Engineering (MCTE) in Mhow.
“DG SAMEER and Commandant MCTE interacted a few days back and plans have been worked out for developing military-grade 5G and 6G labs are underway,” sources said.
Society for Applied Microwave Electronics Engineering and Research (SAMEER) is an autonomous R&D institution under the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology.
In the future, the Army is planning to include the 6G and Security Operations Centre (SOC) 2.0. MeitY plans to integrate the Security Operations Centre 2.0 at NIC Data Centre with the Indian Army for enhanced cyber threat management.