India and Japan have made important progress in strengthening their military partnership by signing a new agreement to jointly develop advanced naval technology.

India and Japan signed a Memorandum of Implementation (MoI) in Tokyo on November 15, 2024, to jointly develop the Unified Complex Radio Antenna (UNICORN) mast. By consolidating several communication systems into a single radar dome, this technique makes Indian Navy warships more stealthy and difficult to detect by lowering their electronic signals. The agreement comes as concerns grow about China's military actions in the Indo-Pacific region. 

Both countries want to strengthen their defence ties, including talks on agreements to share supplies and services, helping their armed forces work better together. This accord is the first time India and Japan have transferred military technology, after a lengthy discussion that started with a 2015 agreement on the transfer of defence equipment. The UNICORN mast technology, which has been negotiated for almost three years, is anticipated to serve as a foundation for upcoming defence manufacturing partnerships. 

Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL), a government-owned company in India, will work closely with Japanese companies that created the UNICORN technology. This partnership is an important step for India to become more self-reliant in defence manufacturing and technology. The talks also alluded to possible new areas of collaboration outside of naval technology, such as semiconductors and artificial intelligence, which would represent a more comprehensive strategic alignment between Japan and India under the QUAD alliance.