Technology has changed the ways wars are fought: IAF chief Chaudhari

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, March 21

Indian Air Force chief Air Chief Marshal VR Chaudhari on Tuesday said technology had changed the ways wars are fought.

He listed hypersonic weapons, very long range radars and artificial intelligence-backed decision as key factors.

He was addressing an industry body on the subject ‘India’s Aerospace Capabilities and Technology Requirements’, here.

He said path-breaking technologies like quantum computing, artificial intelligence, robotics and autonomous systems are knocking at the

doors. The application of these technologies in the aerospace industry has the potential to entirely transform the way wars would be fought.

Intelligent military ecosystems are the future of the battlefield, he added.

The Air Chief Marshal said these systems need to be highly mobile and interconnected, supported by communication and operating across domains.

AI-assisted military options will take the form of multi-domain integration, cross-domain attack and interfacing between manned and

unmanned systems.

In the future, artificial intelligence and quantum computing in tandem may prove to be a game-changer providing quick and accurate inputs and enabling time-critical decisions, he said.

Advanced technologies in unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) or drones have increasing applications and practical relevance today as well as

in the future. This will lead to a much higher demand of armed drones. Research is already progressing in drone-related technologies,

Development of UAV technology within the realm of quantum computing would enhance concepts like joint operations of ‘manned jets and

unmanned jets’, he said.

The IAF, he said, is looking forward to inducting the next version (Mark 1A) of the Light Combat Aircraft (LCA), the HTT-40 trainers,

indigenous weapons and a wide array of radars.

The light combat helicopter had been inducted and it would add teeth to the IAF’s strike capability, he added.

The IAF, he said, is fully committed to the development of LCA Mark-2 and the Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft, adding that there is a need to develop both offensive and defensive space capabilities to safeguard assets.

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