Latest news with #CENTAIC
India.com
6 days ago
- Politics
- India.com
Operation Sindoor Fallout: What Is CENTAIC and Why India Can't Ignore China-Pak AI War Network
New Delhi: China's growing defence collaboration with Pakistan has evolved beyond traditional hardware support and joint exercises. This was evident during the three-day military exchange following India's Operation Sindoor. What stood out was the emergence of artificial intelligence (AI) as a strategic enabler. Pakistan's AI-driven military infrastructure, particularly the Centre for Artificial Intelligence and Computing (CENTAIC), appears to be at the centre of this transformation. On July 29, Leader of Opposition (Lok Sabha) Rahul Gandhi referred to the CENTAIC during his address in Parliament. He questioned whether the government was even aware of the extent of military integration between China and Pakistan. He alleged that CENTAIC, which was established in 2020 with Chinese assistance, plays a role in linking the Pakistan Air Force (PAF) with China's People's Liberation Army Air Force (PLAAF) through AI-powered data exchange systems. The CENTAIC remains largely out of public view despite being around for nearly five years. However, its role has been amplified by recent claims that Pakistan received real-time battlefield intelligence from China during Operation Sindoor. Citing Lt General Rahul Singh, Gandhi told Parliament that Pakistan's ability to identify Indian military vectors with such precision suggests a deeper intelligence-sharing framework, possibly routed through CENTAIC. Defence analysts confirm that the CENTAIC is central to the PAF's Multi-Domain Operations (MDO) strategy. This involves fusing terrestrial, airborne and space-based sensor data to create real-time battlefield awareness. The effort also receives backing from Turkey and is driven largely from the Pakistan Aeronautical Complex in Kamra and the National University of Sciences and Technology in Islamabad. The CENTAIC was officially announced by the PAF in August 2020. The stated aim was to harness AI for both military and civilian applications. PAF Chief Air Chief Marshal Mujahid Anwar Khan had then expressed hope that the CENTAIC would reshape air force operations. According to the Toronto-based defence portal Quwa, the CENTAIC explores areas such as big data, machine learning, predictive analytics and natural language processing (NLP). These technologies are becoming important for modern air combat, especially in next-generation fighter programmes such as Pakistan's 'Project Azm'. Though official documentation does not mention Chinese involvement explicitly, the CENTAIC is seen as a platform that allows Pakistan to enter into bilateral research and development partnerships. Observers believe that China has remained an influential partner, supporting the AI transition in a strategic attempt to bolster the PAF's autonomy and capabilities. Technologies being developed at the CENTAIC could help Pakistan achieve self-reliance in critical software-driven defence systems like missile guidance, sensor fusion and advanced pilot-machine interfaces. These technologies are rarely available off-the-shelf. The CENTAIC's ability to indigenously develop them could help Pakistan reduce its dependency on external suppliers. One of the most important areas the CENTAIC is believed to be working on is sensor fusion. By aggregating data from multiple sources such as radars, IR sensors or optical cameras, this capability offers enhanced battlefield visibility. Similarly, machine learning models could be applied to electronic warfare, flight path optimization and smart missile control systems. A subset of ML, deep learning could lead to drone autonomy and intelligent seeker heads in missiles. The ability to predict aircraft maintenance needs through predictive analytics is also under study. This would help ensure higher availability of key platforms like the JF-17 fighter. The NLP could allow cockpit systems to communicate directly with pilots in real-time, improving situational responses in complex combat scenarios. The broader aim appears to align CENTAIC's work with the PAF's ambition to field a sixth-generation fighter under 'Project Azm'. If successful, the CENTAIC could turn Pakistan into not only a user but also a developer of cutting-edge combat aviation technology. Experts highlight that CENTAIC's creation followed a steady pattern of increasing China-Pakistan air force cooperation post-2019. After the Balakot strike, Pakistan enhanced military ties with China. In December 2020, Chinese Defence Minister Wei Fenghe visited Islamabad and signed fresh defence agreements. Integration of radar and command systems between both countries' air forces reportedly increased during this period. Pakistan's HQ-9P and HQ-16FE missile acquisitions were part of this integration wave. Key radar systems in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir are now said to be integrated with China's southern air defence grid. By 2020, Pakistan had also set up the National Aerospace Science and Technology Park (NASTP) and the CENTAIC as its dual AI hubs, with an eye on battlefield dominance through cognitive AI and electronic warfare. The CENTAIC may not be well-known publicly, but it represents a potent shift in how wars in South Asia could be fought in the near future. With AI forming the backbone of decision-making, surveillance and combat systems, India must consider this integration seriously. Awareness of CENTAIC's mission and its connections with China's military intelligence ecosystem could prove vital to shaping future defence strategies.
India Today
6 days ago
- Politics
- India Today
China-Pak military integration: What is CENTAIC and should India be concerned?
China's defence collaboration with Pakistan was on display during the three-day mini-war following India's Operation Sindoor. What also comes to light is that the China-Pakistan defence cooperation isn't limited to defence purchases and production, but has expanded to the field of military artificial intelligence (AI). Beijing is playing a key role in helping the Pakistan Air Force (PAF) build its Multi-Domain Operations (MDO) network, linking terrestrial, airborne, and space-based sensors to enhance battlefield awareness and reduce response key component of this AI-driven military push is CENTAIC, or the Centre for Artificial Intelligence and Computing, which the Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, mentioned in passing in his speech on Operation Sindoor in Gandhi raised the alarm in Parliament on July 29, asking if the government was even aware of the level of "integration" between the Chinese and Pakistani forces with CENTAIC as the pivot. He claimed CENTAIC, established in Pakistan in 2020, apparently with Chinese assistance, is a key part of a growing effort to transform the Pakistan Air Force (PAF) into a network-centric force that could be seamlessly integrated with the People's Liberation Army (PLA) Air Force using AI and real-time data around for nearly five years, CENTAIC remains rarely discussed on both defence media and news portals, even in MILITARY'S CLOSE LINKS TO PAKISTAN'S CENTAICRahul, citing senior military officials, including Lt General Rahul Singh, alleged that Pakistan received live battlefield inputs from China during Operation Sindoor."On May 11, when DGMO-level talks were going on, Pakistan actually was mentioning that 'we know your such and such important vector is primed and ready for action. I would request you to perhaps pull it back... so it is very clear, they were getting live battlefield inputs from China...," Rahul Gandhi told the Parliament, quoting Lt General claimed CENTAIC aims to "integrate the Pakistani Air Force with the Chinese Air Force and transform the PAF into a network-centric air force"."China has helped the PAF set up its Multi-Domain Operations, networking terrestrial, airborne and space-based sensors to provide the PAF with heightened situational awareness and a shortened kill chain. Both China and Turkey are leaders in using AI in warfare," a defence expert, requesting anonymity, told India Today Digital."The Indian military is aware of considerable Chinese and Turkish assistance to the Pakistan Air Force-National Aerospace Science and Technology Park (PAF-NASTP) and CENTAIC," said the defence expert, adding, "Both are key enablers for the PAF's MDO concept. Most of this joint multinational effort centres around the Pakistan Aeronautical Complex, Kamra, and the National University of Sciences and Technology, Islamabad."advertisementCENTAIC matters for India because it could change how future battles are fought. If linked with China's defence systems, it could mean PAF would be enabled to make quicker decisions and use shared intelligence against IS PAKISTAN AIR FORCE'S CENTAIC?The PAF established the Centre of Artificial Intelligence and Computing in August 2020, according to the Lahore-based daily Pakistan Today. The daily reported that it was created to lead the development of AI for both military and civilian the time, PAF Chief of Air Staff Air Chief Marshal Mujahid Anwar Khan said the centre would help bring AI into the PAF's operational work, reported Quwa, a Toronto-based website that reports on Pakistani defence centre may be researching several key areas of AI, including big data, machine learning (ML), deep learning, predictive analytics, and natural language processing (NLP), reported Quwa. Each of these technologies have major uses in current and future air warfare, especially in the development of drones and next-generation fighter aircraft (NGFA), which Pakistan plans to develop under its "Project Azm" PAF has said that CENTAIC is likely to focus more on military applications, according to the reports do not specifically mention China, the Pakistan Today report on CENTAIC, said, "It will also enable Pakistan to sign bilateral R&D initiatives with different countries".The skills and systems developed at CENTAIC might reportedly also be used in other sectors like healthcare, manufacturing, and resource management, especially if similar organisations are formed in the public or private COULD MAKE PAKISTAN SELF-RELIANT IN AIR WARFAREFor military use, CENTAIC could help Pakistan become comparatively self-reliant in areas where it usually depends on foreign countries, like include software-based technologies such as missile guidance systems, image processing for target tracking, combining data from different sensors (called sensor fusion), and designing systems that help military pilots interact better with machines, known as human-machine interfaces (HMI), said are not physical parts like engines or radar modules, but they are equally critical for building modern air power. Since these kinds of systems are not easily available off-the-shelf, CENTAIC could help Pakistan develop them on its example is sensor fusion. This technology takes data from various sources, like radars, infrared sensors, or cameras, and combines it to give pilots a clearer picture of the battlefield. It's hard to get this kind of software without also buying specific hardware, so CENTAIC could help Pakistan develop it creating intellectual property in AI might allow Pakistan to become an active partner in global research projects, instead of just buying equipment from hence, could become an "equaliser" for Pakistan, according to COULD TRANSFORM PAKISTAN AIR FORCE; ENHANCE DRONES AND JETSQuwa explains that AI covers many different but related fields. One of these is big data, which helps make sense of information from many sources. For example, the PAF could use flight data from test ranges, training exercises, aircraft sensors, and maintenance tools to improve decision-making and aircraft Chinese JF-17 fighter jet, which is widely used by the PAF, collects a large amount of flight data that CENTAIC might now be trying to put to better use, the Quwa report key area CENTAIC might be working on is machine learning (ML), which uses past data to make smarter combat, there's often too much information for humans to process quickly. ML can rapidly analyse vast amounts of data to help planners make better-informed choices. Possible applications include electronic warfare, emergency flight path generation, improved flight models, and smarter control systems for aircraft and learning, an advanced form of ML, uses layered neural networks to make decisions independently. According to the Quwa report, this could enable drones to operate with minimal human input. It may also help develop advanced "seekers" – devices that guide missiles toward hidden or moving targets – and drone swarms capable of coordinating without constant also notes that predictive analytics could be a focus. By analysing sensor data and repair histories, it could forecast maintenance needs, reducing costs and increasing jet availability – critical for heavily used fighters like the language processing (NLP) is another AI tool that could enhance fighter jets by allowing them to "converse" with pilots. Instead of reading multiple alerts, a pilot could hear or see key updates, improving decision-making in high-stress to Quwa, while CENTAIC's specific projects remain undisclosed, its work aligns with the PAF's NGFA AIR FORCE TIES STRENGTHENED POST BALAKOTThough China's involvement in CENTAIC's development has not been officially confirmed, the pattern of growing military-tech collaboration between China and Pakistan suggests a possible link. So far, only Rahul Gandhi has publicly alleged Chinese assistance in setting up the experts have pointed to the developments leading up to CENTAIC's creation."On February 26, 2019, Indian Air Force (IAF) jets crossed into Pakistani airspace for the first time since the 1971 war and bombed a terror training camp in Balakot, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. The strike triggered a brief skirmish on February 27 during which the Pakistan Air Force (PAF) shot down a MiG-21, while the IAF claimed it downed an F-16," said defence expert Sandeep Unnithan."In December 2020, nearly two years later, China's then-Defence Minister Wei Fenghe visited Islamabad and signed an MoU to deepen defence ties. Wei's two-day visit was among the most significant by a Chinese defence official after the 2019 Balakot bombing," explained Unnithan, adding, "It marked a new era of military cooperation, especially between the PAF and China's PLA Air Force (PLAAF)."Though joint exercises under the Shaheen series began in 2011, "they gained momentum after Balakot," he said. "Pakistan inducted Chinese missile systems like HQ-9P and HQ-16FE, designed to counter aircraft such as the Su-30 – used by both India and China.""A large part of the PAF's fleet was already Chinese – like the JF-17, the J-10, and ZDK-03 AWACS," he added. "In the six years since Balakot, there's been significant integration in platforms and command systems."At least one key Pakistani air surveillance radar in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (POK) was also integrated into China's southern air defence grid, he 2020, Pakistan's military-tech cooperation with China extended into AI. "The PAF set up two institutions – PAF-NASTP and CENTIAC – to support AI and big data-driven defence," said Unnithan. "These aimed to bring cognitive AI into electronic warfare and shorten the Observe-Orient-Decide-Act (OODA) loop in air battles."The PAF-NASTP, and CENTAIC, now seemingly drive Pakistan's AI-based electronic warfare to speed up decision-making in future air battles.- Ends
