India’s Air Force is seeking to deploy facial recognition technology for facility access control at a site in Patna, Bihar, according to a new government e-procurement notice.
Tender listings on multiple aggregator portals describe a bid invitation for a “Facial Recognition Based Biometric Access Control System,” with a total quantity of two systems to be supplied and installed in Patna. The procurement is being routed through India’s Government e-Marketplace (GeM) platform, with the Indian Air Force named as the contracting authority in related summaries.
The available documentation in public tender summaries does not disclose detailed technical specifications, but the category description indicates that each unit is expected to provide biometric access control based on facial recognition, replacing or supplementing traditional methods such as badges or PIN-based systems. The bid terms call for two systems, suggesting a targeted deployment, likely at specific access points within the Patna facility rather than a force-wide rollout.
The listing sets the last date for bid submission as 9 December 2025, giving potential vendors a short window to respond. No indicative contract value is provided in the public summaries; bidders are directed to download the official tender documents from GeM for commercial and technical details, which are not accessible without registration.
For security and identity professionals, the tender adds to growing evidence that Indian defense and security agencies are exploring facial recognition-based access control in operational environments. While this procurement appears relatively small in scale, it aligns with a broader national trend toward using biometric credentials in both civil and security infrastructure. The lack of publicly accessible technical documentation means it is not yet clear what performance, privacy, or interoperability requirements the Air Force is placing on vendors.
India has been expanding its use of biometric technology across civil and security sectors. The country’s Digi Yatra facial recognition system has surpassed 15 million downloads for airport processing, while Indian police have expanded AI facial recognition deployment for law enforcement. The government has also launched biometric e-passports as part of a broader digital transformation.
Sources: TenderDetail, FirstTender, Tender18, BidAssist
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By the ID Tech Editorial Team
