The Defence Minister called for improved intelligence and surveillance to maintain the element of surprise against adversaries.
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Thursday told the Indian Air Force (IAF) to enhance its offensive and defensive capabilities to maintain a surprise advantage over adversaries. Addressing the Air Force Commanders' Conference in New Delhi, Singh emphasised the need for better intelligence, surveillance, and system integration to identify threats before they occur, according to reports by ANI, The Economic Times and Deccan Chronicle.
The minister noted that modern conflicts, such as those in Israel-Hamas and Russia-Ukraine, show that missiles, drones, and advanced weaponry are vital. He instructed commanders to ready themselves for new challenges, including counter-drone activities, surveillance, and the use of kamikaze drones.
Singh stated that future victories will rely on precision, speed of response, and technological sophistication rather than just the number of aircraft. He called for the development of specific doctrines for space, cyber, and electronic warfare.
The minister also launched several artificial intelligence applications developed by the IAF's AI Centre of Excellence under the Unit for Digitisation, Automation, Artificial Intelligence and Application Networking (UDAAN). These tools, deployed on a secure network, aim to speed up administration, operations, and aerospace safety tasks.
Singh commended the IAF for its professionalism and judgement during Operation Sindoor. He noted that lessons from that operation have influenced current procedures, specifically regarding air defence systems and drones.
