We're seeking development in all domains, air, sea to AI: Vice-chief of Naval Staff

Vice Admiral Ajay Kochhar said the Indian Navy is seeking development across every major operating domain. These include air, underwater operations, artificial intelligence, and quantum technology. The aim is to build a multi-domain network force rather than a service dependent on only ships or aircraft. This matters because modern naval operations increasingly require different capabilities to work together quickly.

The Navy is also trying to adopt technology while meeting operational needs. Recent conflicts have highlighted autonomous systems and AI in warfighting. The Navy is studying these tools alongside counter-UAS capabilities and quantum technology. Together, they could support surveillance, faster decisions, and responses to new threats.

Kochhar said ongoing crises have kept the Navy engaged in both thinking and deployment. Operation Urja Suraksha has also supported ships in threatened sea lanes. The Navy’s priorities therefore combine immediate maritime security with longer-term development in advanced technologies and connected operations.

A multi-domain network force is a military organisation whose ships, aircraft, underwater systems, sensors, people, and digital tools can exchange information and coordinate actions. Instead of treating air, sea, underwater, and digital operations as separate activities, it links them through networks. This can help commanders build a fuller picture and respond faster.

For example, an aircraft might detect a threat, a ship might track it, and an underwater platform might provide additional information. AI systems could help process large amounts of data and identify patterns. The article does not describe the Navy’s specific network architecture, but it connects this ambition with development in air, underwater operations, AI, and quantum technology.

Kochhar said the Navy wants to become such a force while also meeting operational capabilities. The practical challenge is turning separate technologies into dependable systems that work together during crises. Recent conflicts and ongoing deployments are helping shape that development.

INS Samarthak contains over 75% indigenous content, meaning most of its components, systems, or construction value comes from India. This is significant because local production can strengthen control over naval equipment and support the development of domestic defence technology. It can also help India build experience in designing and integrating complex vessels.

The vessel is India’s first indigenous multi-purpose vessel. It was built by Larsen & Toubro and commissioned in Karwar. Its design allows it to test indigenously developed sensors and weapons. This makes the ship more than an operational platform. It also serves as a practical setting for evaluating Indian technologies in naval conditions.

Vice-President C.P. Radhakrishnan presided over its commissioning. INS Samarthak is the first of two multi-purpose vessels, according to the article. Its high indigenous content and testing role show how shipbuilding and technology development can reinforce each other within India’s naval capability-building effort.

Operation Urja Suraksha has enabled the Indian Navy to safely escort many ships traveling toward Indian shores. The operation matters because those vessels were moving through critical sea lanes where attacks had created risks. Naval escorts can provide protection and reassurance while ships complete their journeys.

The article gives the operation as a concrete example of the Navy responding to an unstable maritime environment. It does not provide the number of ships escorted, the routes used, or the specific threats involved. It does establish that the Navy’s role included helping ships reach India safely during attacks in important sea lanes.

Vice Admiral Ajay Kochhar said ongoing crises have kept the Navy engaged in both thinking and deployment. This means maritime security efforts are continuing alongside long-term work on technology. The operation demonstrates an immediate protection mission, while the Navy develops broader capabilities for future and evolving threats.

Recent conflicts have shown the Navy that warfare is changing quickly. Vice Admiral Ajay Kochhar said autonomous systems and artificial intelligence are among the changes the force needs to adopt and absorb. These technologies can reduce dependence on direct human control in some tasks and help process information during complex operations.

The article also identifies counter-UAS technology as a forward priority. UAS means unmanned aircraft systems, so counter-UAS tools are intended to detect, track, disrupt, or otherwise defeat such aircraft. The Navy is also watching quantum technology, which Kochhar described as a field that will unfold very soon in the future. These priorities reflect new kinds of threats and opportunities.

Kochhar stressed that conflicts alone do not shape the Navy’s future. Technology itself is central to the force’s development. The Navy is therefore combining lessons from recent fighting with operational experience, including deployments linked to ongoing crises and Operation Urja Suraksha.

A UAS, or unmanned aircraft system, is an aircraft operated without a person onboard, together with the equipment and control links needed to fly it. Such systems may be used for observation, targeting, or other missions. The article does not describe a particular UAS threat, but it identifies counter-UAS as an area the Navy is watching.

Counter-UAS systems generally combine detection, tracking, identification, and methods to stop or defeat an unmanned aircraft. A navy needs these capabilities because ships and maritime facilities can face aircraft that observe movements, approach vessels, or interfere with operations. Detection is especially important because small or remotely operated aircraft may be difficult to notice in time.

Kochhar linked counter-UAS interest to lessons from recent conflicts. He also mentioned autonomous systems, AI, and quantum technology. Together, these priorities show that the Navy is preparing for warfare involving more automated platforms and faster technology-driven threats, while still focusing on operational requirements.

Quantum technology is a group of technologies that uses unusual behaviours of matter and light at very small scales. In general, it may support highly sensitive measurement, secure or advanced communications, precise timing, navigation, and powerful forms of information processing. These possibilities are established areas of research, but their military usefulness depends on systems becoming reliable and practical.

For a navy, improved sensing could help detect changes in the maritime environment. Better timing or navigation could support operations when ordinary signals are limited. Advanced computing could also assist complex analysis and decision-making. The article does not identify a specific quantum device or explain how the Indian Navy would deploy one.

Kochhar said quantum technology is a field that will be unfolding very soon in the future, and that the Navy is cognisant of it. Its interest sits alongside AI, autonomous systems, and counter-UAS capabilities. This indicates preparation for emerging technology, not a claim that a quantum naval system is already operational.