The Pakistan Air Force’s Centre of Artificial Intelligence and Computing (CENTAIC) was established as a cutting-edge institution to drive adoption of artificial intelligence (AI) and advanced computing within Pakistan’s defence establishment, particularly the air force.

CENTAIC’s mandate includes research and deployment in areas such as sensor fusion, big data, machine learning, deep learning, and the integration of AI into operational platforms like unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) and advanced command-and-control (C2) systems.


One of CENTAIC’s most ambitious undertakings, in collaboration with Turkish defence partners, was the development of the Next Generation Mobile Mission Control Centres (NG-MMCCs).

The NG-MMCC project aimed to provide the PAF with highly mobile, resilient, AI-enabled backup C2 nodes. These sophisticated platforms utilized state-of-the-art AI-driven Decision Support Tools (DSTs) to ensure that, even if Pakistan’s primary Air Defence Operation Centre (ADOC) or other static Command Operations Centres (COCs) were neutralised, the air force’s battle management and air defence capabilities would remain functional.

The NG-MMCCs boasted rapid mobility, secure plug-and-play networking, advanced voice communications, and strong cyber resilience, making them a cornerstone of PAF’s plans to modernize its command infrastructure and mitigate the risk of decapitation strikes.


However, the trajectory of the NG-MMCC program took a decisive turn during the 2025 conflict between India and Pakistan. In the wake of the Pahalgam terror attack, the Indian Air Force (IAF) launched Operation Sindoor—an intense, multi-day air campaign targeting key Pakistani military infrastructure.

Among the high-value targets was the Nur Khan Airbase in Rawalpindi, one of PAF’s most critical installations. According to multiple credible reports corroborated by open-source satellite imagery and independent defence analysts, two NG-MMCC trucks—then CENTAIC's flagship project—were located and destroyed during the Indian strike on the Nur Khan base.

Post-strike satellite images, released and analysed by geospatial intelligence specialists, show unequivocal destruction in the operations area of Nur Khan.

Not only were specialised military vehicles damaged, but a major operations complex—housing vital C2 systems and presumably the NG-MMCCs—was subsequently demolished by Pakistani authorities, indicating irreparable internal damage. The complete obliteration of these backup command-and-control nodes had significant ramifications: it left the PAF’s air defence network exposed, eliminated years of development work by CENTAIC, and demonstrated the vulnerability of even highly mobile, AI-driven platforms to well-planned precision strikes.

The impact of this loss was immediately evident within Pakistani defence circles. The elimination of both NG-MMCCs effectively removed any operational redundancy for the PAF’s C2 network, leaving main command centres as the sole remaining hubs for battle management and air defence tasks.

This scenario heightened concern among Pakistani military strategists regarding survivability and resilience of C2 assets against advanced adversaries. Indian analysts similarly interpreted the strike as a calculated warning, signalling that subsequent operations could target PAF’s principal command nodes and push the air force into near paralysis with respect to centralized air defence and support for combat aircraft.

The CENTAIC NG-MMCC project, celebrated as a showcase of indigenous AI and battlefield computing, was decisively neutralized during the IAF’s May 2025 airstrikes on Nur Khan.

Verified by satellite imagery and recognized by both Indian and global defence analysts, the destruction of these advanced platforms marked a substantial setback for Pakistan’s efforts in deploying AI-enabled, resilient C2 solutions for air operations.

IDN (With Input From Agencies)