Getting Ready for AI in Defence: A Software Partner’s Ground-Level View

We live in a rapidly shifting technological and geopolitical landscape, and putting our thoughts into the future of Defence has become imperative in today’s day and age. The path forward is driven by intelligent systems that can sense, decide, and act at machine speed. Artificial Intelligence is no longer a distant ambition but a present-day necessity. But while the potential of AI in Defence sector is widely acknowledged, the question that continues to challenge militaries and Defence organizations globally is: What does it truly take to be AI-ready?

As a technology partner deeply engaged with Defence modernization, we offer a view from the ground: what we see, what we’ve learned, and how we believe that Defence organizations can practically achieve AI readiness in the mission-critical world of Defence and research labs.

The Changing Face of Warfare: Why AI Readiness Matters

AI is shaping the next generation of warfare-defined by speed, autonomy, and hyper-connectivity. From cognitive radios that self-optimize in real-time to intelligent threat detection, autonomous systems, and AI-optimized 5G/NTN communications, AI is becoming the digital spine of modern militaries.

In India, this transformation is already underway. The Indian Defence market was valued at USD 17.3 billion in 2024, and analysts project it will reach USD 29.8 billion by 2033, growing at a CAGR of 5.6%. This growth reflects the country’s commitment to tech adoption.

India has deployed over 140 AI-enabled sensor systems along its borders with Pakistan and China. These help with real-time surveillance and target identification at critical points like the Line of Control.

This transformation, however, doesn’t happen overnight. The integration of AI is a journey, not a switch. It calls for foundational readiness—not just in technology but in strategy, people, data, ethics, and collaboration.

Determining Defence organizations' AI readiness

Here’s our interpretation based on our on-ground experience and continuing interactions with stakeholders in the Defence ecosystem:

Ensuring Strategic Alignment with Operational Objectives

For AI to be truly effective, it must fit into the overall goals expected of military ai, not just be used in separate projects. This means:

• Understanding exactly how AI can help achieve mission success
• Ensuring AI projects focus on the organisation’s main priorities
• Getting strong backing from senior leaders and cooperation from different teams across the organisation
• When orgs only use AI in small, disconnected projects, it doesn’t go very far. Real impact happens when its built into the overall plans, strategies, and systems that guide the future of AI in Defence.

India’s government has recognized this imperative, allocating ₹2,000 crore (~USD 270 million) for the IndiaAI mission in 2025-26 alone, as part of a broader ₹10,371.92 crore (~USD 1.4 billion) five-year plan to develop indigenous AI capabilities, including military applications.

Strong and Secure Data Systems for AI

AI needs good data to work well—just like a soldier needs reliable intel. For Defence organizations, this means:

• Using high-quality, mission-specific datasets that are accurate and relevant
• Building secure, federated data systems allows data to be shared across units without being moved or exposed
• Making sure there’s real-time data access at the tactical edge, like on the battlefield or in remote locations.

The Indian Army has deployed over 140 AI applications for situational awareness, intelligence extraction, and operational efficiency, demonstrating the scale and importance of robust data systems in the Indian context.

AI won’t perform well if the data is siloed, poorly labeled, or missing context. Also, AI models need to keep learning from fresh data, which is only possible with automated data pipelines and scalable infrastructure.

In short, without the right data setup, even the smartest AI will fall short.

Working Together with Humans and AI

Being AI-ready is not only about having smart algorithms, it’s also about how well people adapt AI and are ready to work with it. AI in Defence operations need to adapt so that AI helps with decision-making but doesn’t replace human judgment. This means:

• Redefining roles: Deciding which decisions AI should handle and which ones should stay with humans.
• Building trust: Figuring out how much trust operators should place in the AI’s suggestions or actions.
• Training: Preparing soldiers and analysts to work with AI systems, not just use them.

India’s Military College of Telecommunication Engineering is at the forefront of this shift, deploying AI-driven applications that support both operational and training needs, and ensuring that human-AI collaboration is at the heart of modern Defence technology.

Human-AI teams work best when the AI is easy to understand, trustworthy, and enhances human capabilities, not when it’s a “black box” that’s hard to figure out.

Flexible and Scalable AI Software Architecture

For AI in Defence sector to succeed, its software needs to be:

• Modular: Designed using microservices, which allow for easy updation without affecting rest of the system

• Edge-capable: Edge capabilities that enable more complex operations on the handheld devices used by Defence personnel, keeping in mind the size, weight, and power limitations.
• Scalable: It must be compatible with the wide range of platforms used by Defence, from mobile devices to complex systems such as drones.

A showcase for a next-gen, indigenous weapons systems is the BRAHMOS-NG missile variant, produced in the BrahMos Aerospace plant in Lucknow in 2025. It demonstrates the integration of AI and flexible, scalable software architectures in next-generation weapon systems.

Using closed software systems can lead to gaps in use of artificial intelligence in military. Open systems bring interoperability, while containerization streamlines the deployment tailored for specific situations and requirements.

Responsible and Ethical AI Usage

Using AI for Defence purposes comes along with ethical concerns, on how autonomous weapons are utilized or how surveillance happens. Being ready for ethical AI means:

• Transparent model design: Making sure AI systems are open and understandable
• Bias mitigation: Using diverse data to avoid the AI making unfair or biased decisions
• Human oversight: Ensuring that humans are still in charge of important decisions, with clear accountability for AI actions

Another goal for India is to achieve “technological sovereignty”, which means lesser dependence on foreign hardware, and developing its own capabilities. India’s investment in indigenous AI chips and GPUs is an important step in responsible AI adoption. Steps towards ensuring ethics in AI include strong governance frameworks and audit trails.

Flexible Buying and Strong Partnerships

Traditional Defence procurement processes can be time consuming and make it hard to keep up with fast-moving AI innovation. To be AI-ready, Defence organizations need to:

• Try out ideas quickly with rapid prototyping
• Use dual-use technologies that work in both Defence and civilian settings
• Deepen technical capabilities by bringing in new talent, by partnering with enterprises and universities.

India’s Defence sector is leveraging the ‘Make in India’ initiative, partnering with startups and academia to speed up the creation of dual-use AI tech. In fact, some of the most successful ventures in AI have emerged from these sorts of collaborations.

Challenges on the Path to AI Readiness

While using AI in Defence has immense potential but putting it into action comes with significant real-world challenges. Here are some of the most common ones:

Legacy Systems and Integration Barriers

Many Defence systems still run on old hardware and software that weren’t designed to support AI. Due to the absence of streamlined processes, integration of legacy systems with AI tools, sensors and communication devices becomes laborious and complicated.

Data Security and Sovereignty

Defence, which works with some of the most sensitive data, needs to uphold the strongest security posture. Hence this data cannot be processed or stored on any public platform.

This also necessitates the AI systems to run within secure and local environments. These air-gapped systems require special tools, security checks and custom workflows to ensure secure operations.

Cultural Resistance and Trust Gaps

People working in Defence may be cautious about trusting AI, especially when decisions impact safety or mission success. Building trust takes time and requires making AI systems more transparent, easy to use, and proven in real-world conditions.

AI in Action: Real Use Cases in Defence

AI isn’t just a future concept—it’s already being used in Defence today. Let’s look at three key areas where AI is making a real impact, and what that tells us about being AI-ready.

Smarter Communication with Cognitive Radios

In today’s battlefields, radio communication can be disrupted due to crowding or jamming. AI-powered cognitive radios help solve this by:

• Scanning and finding the best available frequencies automatically
• Detecting possible jamming threats
• Adjusting their settings in real time for the best signal

India’s deployment of AI-powered cognitive radios and sensor networks along the border has significantly improved real-time threat detection and communication reliability in high-risk zones.

Defence forces that are AI-ready are adding these smart radios to their communication systems, allowing them to maintain reliable contact even in tough conditions.

AI for Next-Generation Warfare

Modern warfare is not just about weapons, it’s about having better information. AI supports this by:

• Bringing together data from satellites, drones, and sensors (ISR fusion)
• Predicting threats before they happen
• Running realistic training and mission planning through AI simulations

Organisations that are well-prepared treat AI as a core part of their strategy—not just a tool.

Smarter 5G and Satellite Networks (NTN)

AI is also improving Defence communication networks like tactical 5G and NTN (Non-Terrestrial Networks), by:

• Creating dedicated, reliable network slices for critical missions
• Predicting and managing congestion on the network
• Helping devices switch smoothly between land and satellite connections

AI-powered drones and UAVs are revolutionizing border surveillance by providing real-time intelligence and reducing personnel risk in high-tension zones across India.

AI-ready Defence teams treat their networks as intelligent systems that actively support mission success, rather than just tools for sending data.

A Software Partner’s Perspective: Building AI Readiness Together

From our experience working closely with Defence organisations, one thing is clear: AI readiness isn’t something you can just buy, it’s something you build over time.

When we partner with Defence teams, we don’t start by pushing technology. We start by understanding the mission and the real problems on the ground. Our approach includes:

• Finding specific use cases where AI can make a real difference
• Designing secure and flexible AI systems that can adapt to different needs
• Deploying AI models directly on rugged, edge devices used in the field
• Setting up systems that keep improving through regular feedback

Whether it’s creating smart communication systems, combining data from various sensors, or running AI directly on drones or aircraft—we focus on delivering reliable, mission-driven software.

We believe a good software partner isn’t just about writing code. It’s about bringing the right mindset: focused on Defence challenges, speed, and impact.

The Future Belongs to the AI-Ready

Defence organisations around the world are starting to rethink their capabilities using AI. But just having the right technology isn’t enough to win battles. What really matters is readiness—being strategically, operationally, and culturally prepared for AI.

The journey to AI readiness is long, starting from integrating systems to reaching innovative solutions. Defence organisations are at an important moment in this journey. The ones who lead clearly, work quickly with partners, and build with purpose will define the future of warfare.

In this process, software partners are not just suppliers; they are key contributors to strengthening national security.