India and Japan have signed a pact related to the Unified Complex Radio Antenna (UNICORN) project, a next-generation naval communications system designed to provide warships with secure and reliable communications. If executed with disciplined integration timelines and fleet-wide standardization, the acquisition could strengthen survivable command and control, improve operational tempo, and enhance interoperability during joint maritime patrols and exercises, says GlobalData, a leading intelligence and productivity platform.

 According to GlobalData’s report, “The Global Tactical Communications Market Forecast 2025–2035”, India is anticipated to spend $16 billion on the procurement of various types of tactical communication systems from 2025 to 2035. Of this total, the country is expected to spend $2.3 billion, or about 14.5% on maritime communication systems.

Vinayak Kamath, Aerospace and Defense Analyst at GlobalData, comments: “The UNICORN project reflects a pragmatic effort to convert shared maritime security priorities into deployable capability and repeatable industrial cooperation. While the near-term value lies in more secure and reliable warship communications, the long-term opportunity includes building certified integration processes, ensuring trusted component sourcing, and establishing a joint support ecosystem that is sustainable across multiple naval platform classes. Prospective platforms include India’s Project 17B frigates and the Project 18 Next-Generation Destroyer. The system builds on technology used in Japan’s Mogami-class frigates and will be manufactured in India by Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL).”

The agreement comes amid a more contested Indo-Pacific operating environment. India faces pressure along its maritime borders due to growing grey-zone activity and electronic warfare risks around the critical sea lanes in the Indian Ocean from rival maritime forces such as China and Pakistan.

Similarly, Japan is affected by tensions in the East China Sea and increasing complexity across the wider Western Pacific from actors like North Korea and China. In this context, resilient naval communications systems like UNICORN can reduce vulnerability to disruption and support decision-making under contested conditions.

A global move toward communications resilience and supply-chain security reinforces this project. Recent supply-chain disruptions and tighter controls on sensitive technologies due to various kinetic and non-kinetic conflicts worldwide are prompting defense stakeholders to diversify suppliers, enhance mission-system availability, and shorten repair and overhaul cycles through more localized support.

Kamath concludes: “India and Japan are increasingly aligned on the need for interoperable, network-enabled fleets. If co-development extends beyond initial procurement into upgrades, training, technology exchange, and lifecycle support, the partnership can deepen at strategic levels. Both countries are engaging in greater systems engineering and indigenous sustainment, in addition to strengthening operational interoperability, which will contribute to a more stable maritime security architecture in the Indo-Pacific.”