The Indian Air Force's (IAF) Integrated Air Command and Control System (IACCS), working in conjunction with the Indian Army’s ‘Akashteer’ and the Indian Navy’s ‘Trigun’, formed a joint operational backbone during Operation Sindoor, Union defence minister Rajnath Singh stated on Tuesday.

The IACCS is an automated command and control system for all IAF operations. Akashteer is an indigenous, AI-driven, fully automated air defence control and reporting system developed by the Army, integrating radar and various sensor data to provide a common, real-time air picture for coordinated defence against enemy aircraft, drones, and missiles.

Trigun is India’s maritime domain awareness and mission planning system, utilising AI and data analytics to track all types of merchant ships, warships, submarines, and aircraft operating around India. India is also developing a Defence Communication Network (DCN), a tri-services project aimed at creating an ultra-modern communication network that will enable the three services to share data, intelligence, and situational awareness.

“The tri-services synergy produced a unified, real-time operational picture, and it empowered commanders to take timely decisions, enhanced situational awareness, and reduced the risk of fratricide. This is the living example of jointness delivering decisive results, and this success must become the benchmark for all future operations,” he said while attending a seminar organised by the Indian Air Force (IAF) in New Delhi.  

The evolving character of warfare—combined with the complex interplay of traditional and non-traditional threats—makes jointness a core operational necessity rather than a matter of choice. “Jointness has become a fundamental requirement for our national security and operational effectiveness today. While each of our services possesses the capacity to respond independently, the interconnected nature of land, sea, air, space and cyberspace makes collaborative strength the true guarantor of victory,” he said.  

Highlighting the strides made in the digital domain, he said the Army has developed a Computerised Inventory Control Group (CICG), the Air Force has an Integrated Materials Management Online System (IMMOLS), and the Navy has an Integrated Logistics Management System. These have already transformed logistics by bringing automation, accountability and transparency. Work has begun on developing a Tri-Services Logistics Application, which will integrate these systems to provide shared visibility of stocks, optimise cross-service resources and reduce redundant procurement.

Rajnath Singh warned that in critical domains such as aviation safety and cyber warfare, divergence in standards could prove disastrous. “Even a minor error in inspection can create cascading effects. And if our cyber defence systems differ across services, adversaries can exploit the gap. We must close these vulnerabilities by harmonising our standards,” he stated.

At the same time, Singh stressed that integration must respect the uniqueness of each force. “The cold of the Himalayas is not the same as the heat of the desert. The Navy faces challenges different from those of the Army and Air Force. We cannot impose uniformity where it does not fit. Our task is to create a shared baseline that preserves uniqueness while building interoperability and trust,” he explained.