Pakistan’s AI navy: How deepfakes targeting Indian naval leadership signal a dangerous new front in maritime warfare

In every era, the character of warfare changes before the battlefield notices. In South Asia today, that change is unfolding not in the waters of the Arabian Sea, but in the digital ecosystem surrounding it. Pakistan’s recent deployment of AI-generated deepfakes, doctored missile footage, and synthetic naval “victories” marks the arrival of a new and deeply destabilising form of conflict — one in which the mind is targeted before the missile, and perception is shaped long before capability is tested.

The most alarming illustration of this shift came not from any ship or submarine, but from a viral video that attempted to impersonate the Chief of the Indian Navy.

When Admirals become targets

The video in question appeared to show India’s Chief of Naval Staff, Admiral Dinesh K. Tripathi, criticising the government for restricting naval action and admitting to fabricated operational losses. For those unfamiliar with modern deepfake technology, the clip looked credible at first glance. But a detailed examination by India’s Deepfakes Analysis Unit revealed that while the opening seconds contained real footage, the remainder of the audio was entirely synthetic — an AI-generated clone grafted onto legitimate visuals.

This was not mischief. It was a deliberate attempt to simulate a breach in naval cohesion and erode public trust in one of India’s most disciplined institutions.

Around the same time, Pakistan-linked digital networks circulated a second manipulated video, this time targeting the Director General Naval Operations (DGNO) — one of the most crucial operational authorities in the Indian Navy. The fake clip suggested internal disagreement over deployment plans during the Pahalgam–Sindoor crisis. It too was later found to be digitally altered.

When a nation directs deepfakes at another’s admirals, it is not engaging in trolling. It is engaging in cognitive warfare.

From ships to screens: Pakistan’s ‘AI navy’ emerges

These deepfakes are not isolated incidents. They are part of a systematic trend.

Following Pakistan’s latest test of the P-282 ship-launched anti-ship ballistic missile, the official statement was deliberately vague: no ship name, no telemetry, no seeker details, no confirmation of range or speed. The video showed a missile rising into the sky and a distant splash. That was all.

Yet immediately after this minimalist announcement, an entire ecosystem of Pakistan-friendly pages — many of which routinely amplify ISPR narratives — began circulating enhanced, exaggerated, and in many cases doctored ASBM videos. These clips claimed Pakistan had demonstrated an “800 km hypersonic strike,” “carrier-kill capability,” and “South Asia’s first ship-fired hypersonic missile.”

None of these details came from Pakistan’s military.

They came from Pakistan’s informal information warfare proxies, giving the establishment plausible deniability while reaping the benefit of inflated narratives.

This is the architecture of Pakistan’s AI Navy: a virtual force built through synthetic media, operating on social networks, designed to compensate for constraints at sea.

Operation Sindoor shows the real balance of power

During the Pahalgam standoff, India launched Operation Sindoor, deploying nearly three dozen ships, including an aircraft carrier group, across the Arabian Sea. Indian destroyers, frigates, submarines and P-8I aircraft demonstrated maritime dominance and operational readiness.

Pakistan Navy, by contrast, remained largely confined to Karachi and nearby waters. Public reporting documented propulsion issues and limited availability of several major vessels. Pakistan issued multiple NAVAREA warnings rather than undertaking forward deployments.

Yet online, the picture was the opposite.

Digitally altered videos circulated showing Indian ships allegedly destroyed, Pakistani missiles hitting moving targets, and simulated engagements designed to portray dramatic Pakistani victories. In the comments sections, Pakistan’s “virtual navy” appeared to overpower India’s real one.

This divergence between operational reality and online fiction shows why cognitive warfare is becoming central to Pakistan’s maritime strategy.

Synthetic capability as a substitute for real capability

Pakistan’s real ASBM capability—to the extent publicly known—aligns with a short-range, China-linked coastal missile comparable to the CM-401 system. Its reach is estimated around 290–350 km. This places it in the realm of littoral anti-access capability, not long-range anti-carrier warfare.

Yet the absence of official details allowed Pakistan’s digital ecosystem to stretch this modest capability into a grand narrative of technological breakthrough.

This dual-track approach—official vagueness coupled with unofficial hype—allows Islamabad to shape perceptions without being accountable for exaggerations. It also places the burden of countering misinformation on the target nation, in this case India.

But India did not play that game.

The Indian Navy did not respond with theatrics, press conferences, or counterclaims.

It responded with posture.

It kept sailing.

And in any maritime contest, presence is power.

Why this matters for regional stability

Deepfakes targeting naval leadership, combined with realistic-looking doctored strike videos, introduce risks that go far beyond propaganda. Navies rely on decision cycles, command authority, and crisis clarity. When false statements circulate in the name of senior commanders, or when synthetic footage simulates “victories” that never occurred, misinformation can distort escalation dynamics.

A fabricated clip of a ship strike could inflame public opinion in Pakistan.

A deepfake of an Indian admiral could generate doubt during a crisis.

A doctored ASBM launch could embolden decision-makers already operating under pressure.

This is why countries across the world—from the EU to the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command—are treating AI manipulation as a strategic threat.

South Asia cannot afford to ignore it.

India’s Task: Defend the seas—and the truth

India’s naval superiority remains unquestioned. The Indian Navy has stronger platforms, deeper surveillance reach, and greater operational confidence than Pakistan’s fleet. What now requires equal attention is information superiority—the ability to detect, expose, and neutralise synthetic manipulation before it shapes public or strategic perception.

In future crises, the opening salvo may not be a missile launch.

It may be a deepfake.

And in that moment, the ability to defend narrative integrity will matter as much as the ability to defend the coastline.

Last word

Pakistan’s turn toward deepfakes and doctored naval videos marks the emergence of a second navy — one that exists not in the Arabian Sea, but in the digital domain. It is this “AI Navy,” not the real one, that Islamabad uses to project strength, mask vulnerabilities and influence public opinion.

India must recognise this shift and adapt accordingly. The battles of tomorrow will be fought not only with ships, submarines and aircraft, but with algorithms engineered to deceive.

In this new era, the Indian Navy must prepare to command both the seas and the truth.

(Commodore (Dr.) Johnson Odakkal is a maritime scholar, strategic affairs analyst, and Indian Navy veteran.)