Raksha Mantri Rajnath Singh launched a suite of in-house Indian Air Force (IAF) AI applications in New Delhi on 12 November 2026. Built by the AI Centre of Excellence of the IAF’s Unit for Digitisation, Automation, Artificial Intelligence and Application Networking (UDAAN), the tools run on the force’s secure network, the Ministry of Defence said.

The launch comes as the Centre weighs a push for indigenous AI models in defence and other critical sectors, and it shows a military service choosing to build its own tools rather than buy them off the shelf.

What the IAF AI applications will do

According to the ministry, the applications will automate and speed up work in three areas:

• Operations, where faster handling of routine tasks can free up time for planning and decisions
• Administration, covering day-to-day processes across the force
• Aerospace safety, a core concern for any air force

The ministry described the rollout as a significant milestone in the IAF’s technology-driven transformation. It has not named the individual applications or said which models or data they use. Running them only on the IAF’s secure network keeps sensitive data inside the force’s own systems.

Built by UDAAN, the IAF’s in-house AI unit

UDAAN set up its AI Centre of Excellence at Air Force Station Rajokri, New Delhi, in July 2022, with high-end computing, big data storage and a platform for analytics, machine learning and natural language processing. At the time, the IAF said its AI applications were being developed with in-house expertise in coordination with public sector units, MSMEs and academia.

Singh launched the suite at Air Headquarters, at the start of the IAF’s annual meeting of its top commanders. Minister of State for Defence Sanjay Seth, Chief of the Air Staff Air Chief Marshal Ashutosh Dixit and Defence Secretary Rajesh Kumar Singh were present.

Why in-house AI matters for India’s armed forces

Singh asked the IAF to keep training its personnel in emerging technologies and to draw on the technical skills of young recruits. “Victory in future conflicts would depend not merely on the number of aircraft, but also on technological sophistication, speed of response and precision of preparations,” he said, according to the ministry’s release.

The IAF suite adds to a growing defence AI pipeline in India. HQ Integrated Defence Staff has signed an MoU with Sarvam AI to build sovereign AI for the armed forces, while global players are moving engineering work into the country, such as Shield AI’s new Bengaluru office for defence autonomy software. Across government, institutions are building their own systems too, from the CAG’s IIT Madras-built LLM for auditors to state police platforms.

The open questions are the usual ones for AI in sensitive settings: how outputs are checked by people, how the tools are tested and audited, and how they will be updated as needs change.

Key takeaways

• Rajnath Singh launched a suite of in-house IAF AI applications in New Delhi on 12 November 2026.
• The tools were built by UDAAN’s AI Centre of Excellence and run on the IAF’s secure network.
• They target operations, administration and aerospace safety; individual applications have not been disclosed.

FAQ

What are the IAF AI applications?

They are a suite of AI tools developed in-house by the Indian Air Force’s AI Centre of Excellence under UDAAN to automate and speed up tasks in operations, administration and aerospace safety.

What is UDAAN?

UDAAN is the IAF’s Unit for Digitisation, Automation, Artificial Intelligence and Application Networking. Its AI Centre of Excellence was set up at Air Force Station Rajokri, New Delhi, in 2022.

Who launched the applications and when?

Raksha Mantri Rajnath Singh launched them at Air Headquarters in New Delhi on 12 November 2026.

Featured image: Raksha Mantri Rajnath Singh launching the IAF’s AI applications at Air Headquarters, New Delhi. Photo: Office of Rajnath Singh (official image)

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