The character of warfare is evolving, and so is the increasing use of emerging technologies on the modern battlefield. Artificial Intelligence (AI) is one such niche technology, which militaries around the world are introducing on the battlefield. Building on this momentum, India also claims to have employed AI during the 2025 Indo-Pak crisis. New Delhi’s claim of using AI is an unprecedented development in South Asia, as India had not previously officially acknowledged the use of AI in its military operations. Given this, in future military campaigns, the Indian military will likely employ AI on a larger scale, from surveillance to AI-powered weapon systems, which also poses challenges for Pakistan, against whom it was previously employed.
On October 6, 2025, Lt. Gen. Rajiv Kumar, DG of the Indian Army’s EME Corps, revealed that “AI was extensively used for multi-sensor and multi-source data fusion in real time during Operation Sindoor.” He claimed that with the help of AI, the Indian army was able to precisely identify, prioritize, locate, and engage the targets with a success rate of almost 94 percent. Various AI-enabled systems were used in this regard.
For instance, to acquire a “common surveillance picture” of the battlefield, the Indian Army integrated the Trinetta system with the Battlefield Surveillance System (BSS), commonly known as Sanjay. AI-driven Sanjay, along with “Trinetra,” integrated data from multiple ground-based and airborne sensors, providing military commanders with enhanced battlefield situational awareness that assisted in making swift decisions during their duel with Pakistan, according to official claims. Lt. Gen. Rajiv Kumar claimed that the BSS used “Edge AI,” which allowed it to process data and support decision-making locally, without dependence on distant servers. Moreover, Edge AI receives processing power directly on the platform, whether in a drone or in a soldier’s kit, ensuring systems continue to function when the network is jammed.
The Indian Army also employed the indigenously developed Electronic Intelligence Collation and Analysis System (ECAS) to identify and prioritize immediate threats in real-time. This AI model was trained on 26 years of data gathered by India’s intelligence agencies and military. The archival data, which made this AI tool effective according to the DG EME, consisted of information collected regarding Pakistan’s military sensors, their frequencies, and electronic signatures, as well as the locations where they had frequently visited in the past and their parent units. During the 2025 conflict, according to the Indian Army’s claims, this AI-based ECAS achieved 94 percent accuracy in identifying various radars, missile units, and other systems that emit electronic signatures.
During the four-day conflict, the Indian army also claimed to have employed 23 additional AI applications. One of them was “Anuman 2.0”, which enabled real-time weather forecasting up to 48 hours in advance with precision within a 200-kilometer radius along Pakistan’s border, helping the artillery regiments of the Indian army direct precise fire on Pakistani positions. Additionally, AI-enabled drones were also employed in the conflict to provide a real-time data feed with no delay.
The availability of AI tools and their operationalization during the conflict did not happen out of the blue. Prior to the employment of AI during Operation Sindoor, AI was used in various field exercises to provide a cohesive picture to the combat commanders by merging data from the ISR sensors deployed during the maneuvers. One prime example is the Exercise Dakshin Shakti conducted by the Indian Army’s Southern Command in 2021, which involved more than 30,000 troops. On the other hand, the Indian Army also demonstrated its capability to deploy AI-enabled drone swarms as early as 2023.
Indian Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, on October 7th, 2025, said that modern warfare relies not only on weapons but also on the influence of niche-edge technologies, such as AI. This indicates that New Delhi will invest more in the field of AI and will equip its military with AI-enabled systems on an emergency basis. The work has already begun, with one prime example being SAKSHAM, which employs AI for counter-drone operations and is currently operational with the Indian Army. These developments indicate that in the days ahead, with increasing Indian investment in the CATS Warrior Program, the SBS-III satellite project, and drone swarms, AI will soon be integrated into military systems on a large scale. The Indian military will use AI not only for surveillance purposes and data collection, but also to play a crucial role in determining which target is to be eliminated first.
New Delhi’s official position is not to place a premature ban on the lethal autonomous weapons (LAWS). At the 79th UN General Assembly First Committee in October 2024, India abstained from voting on Draft Resolution L.77 on LAWS. In December 2023, India voted against UN General Assembly Resolution 78/241 on LAWS. Given India’s position and its extensive use of AI in the May 2025 conflict, it is likely that India will develop, manufacture, and deploy AI-led weapons, such as missiles armed with AI and LAWS, on the battlefield.
The veracity of claims made by the Indian General, pertaining to the AI’s deployment and its potential success during Operation Sindoor, cannot be independently verified due to the scarcity of data. However, these claims should be taken seriously by Pakistan. Considering this, Pakistan is required not only to invest in indigenous AI capabilities but also to boost its electronic and cyber warfare capabilities simultaneously. The former will enable Islamabad to balance New Delhi in the AI domain, while the latter will help neutralize the AI systems operated by India.
While integrating AI with military platforms, Pakistan can follow a human-in-the-loop approach for AI-driven ISR systems and a human-on-the-loop approach for kinetic systems, such as drones, which allows them to complete their missions in a hostile electronic warfare environment. However, Islamabad is likely to avoid deploying LAWS even if New Delhi does, because Pakistan, unlike India, believes that LAWS may eliminate the risk of human casualties for the user states, and LAWS also tend to increase the likelihood of use, which lowers the threshold for the use of force that affects regional and global stability.
Publication Link: https://thediplomat.com/2025/10/indias-use-of-artificial-intelligence-during-the-indo-pak-four-day-crisis/
