IAF ties up with IIT Madras to build indigenous secure airborne communications

Chennai:
India’s push to reduce dependence on imported defence electronics has taken a step forward, with the Indian Air Force’s software arm entering into a partnership with academia to develop secure digital communications for airborne platforms.

The Software Development Institute (SDI) of the Indian Air Force has signed a memorandum of understanding with Indian Institute of Technology Madras to jointly design and develop an indigenous digital secure communication system for airborne applications, officials said on Monday.

The project aims to build high-performance, encrypted networking systems capable of operating reliably in dynamic and hostile airborne environments — a capability increasingly central to modern, network-centric warfare. By developing the technology domestically, the IAF hopes to cut reliance on imported communication systems and gain greater control over mission-critical software and encryption protocols.

The agreement was signed in Chennai by Air Vice Marshal R Guruhari, Commandant of SDI, Prof V Kamakoti, Director of IIT Madras, and Dr M J Shankar Raman, chief executive of Pravartak Technologies Foundation, the institute’s technology innovation hub.

According to a release, the collaboration will focus on advanced algorithms for secure networking and encryption, enabling fast and resilient data exchange between airborne platforms. Such systems are essential for real-time situational awareness, coordinated operations and secure command-and-control in contested environments.

The work will draw on SDI’s operational and systems expertise and IIT Madras’ research strengths in communication technologies and cybersecurity. Areas under development include advanced encryption protocols, resilience against electronic and cyber threats, scalability across multiple airborne nodes, and compatibility with existing defence systems.

The project is expected to result in deployable prototypes that could be adapted for multiple aircraft and unmanned platforms over time, officials said, though no timeline was disclosed.

For IIT Madras, the partnership adds to a growing portfolio of defence-linked research spanning aerospace systems, artificial intelligence and advanced materials. For the government, it aligns with its broader push to indigenise defence procurement and build a domestic ecosystem around critical technologies.