AI-powered threats Demand Urgent overhaul of India’s Coastal defence and Security |
India must urgently modernise its coastal security infrastructure to counter an emerging generation of AI-enabled threats that could render traditional maritime security apparatus and defences obsolete. With artificial intelligence democratising advanced military capabilities, hostile actors now have access to autonomous underwater vehicles, coordinated drone swarms, and cyber-physical attack systems that were exclusively the domain of superpowers just years ago. We face a fundamentally different security environment from that which existed even five years ago. The convergence of AI, autonomous systems, and sophisticated cyber capabilities creates threats that can materialise with unprecedented speed and lethality along our 11,098-kilometre coastline.
The Invisible Underwater Menace
Perhaps most alarming are autonomous underwater vehicles—sophisticated submarine drones capable of operating for weeks without surfacing while maintaining minimal acoustic signatures that challenge conventional sonar detection. Security analysts warn of scenarios in which torpedo-sized AUVs could be launched from vessels over 100 nautical miles offshore, using AI navigation to autonomously infiltrate major ports. Once positioned, these systems could attach explosives to naval assets, conduct prolonged reconnaissance of underwater defences, or remain dormant as sleeper weapons activated on command. Larger AUVs pose direct threats to critical underwater infrastructure, including submarine communication cables carrying 99 per cent of international data traffic, oil and gas pipelines, and desalination plant intake systems.
The AI advantage is significant: these systems learn from each mission, make autonomous decisions without detectable communications, recognise optimal attack timing based on traffic patterns, and adapt tactics when they encounter countermeasures. China’s deployment of underwater autonomous systems in the South China Sea, combined with commercially available AUV technology requiring minimal modification and accessible 3D-printed components, has lowered the barrier to entry dramatically.
Swarm Intelligence and Saturation Attacks
While single-drone incidents have garnered attention following recent security events, AI introduces exponential complexity through swarm intelligence. Defence experts envision scenarios involving 50 to 100 coordinated drones overwhelming point defences through saturation attacks, with distributed decision-making eliminating any central control point vulnerable to jamming. Maritime applications include simultaneous strikes on multiple naval and coast guard targets, with AI coordination identifying and engaging vessels while electronic warfare drones jam communications and radar.
Port infrastructure becomes vulnerable to precision attacks on fuel depots, coastal security chains of static sensors, control........