[26] INDIA-JAPAN DEFENCE CO-DEVELOPMENT IN TRANSITION: A STUDY OF THE UNICORN PROJECT AND THE 16TH ANNUAL SUMMIT (2026)
How to Cite: Prashant Kumar (2026). India-Japan Defence Co-Development in Transition: A Study of the UNICORN Project and the 16th Annual Summit (2026). International Journal of Multidisciplinary Research & Reviews, 5(7),363-381. https://doi.org/10.56815/ijmrr.v5i7.2026.363-381
Abstract
The India-Japan strategic partnership has evolved considerably since 2014, transitioning from a largely declaratory and dialogue-based relationship toward one increasingly characterised by concrete defence-industrial interdependence. This paper undertakes a conceptually grounded, theoretically informed case study of that transition, focusing on the UNICORN (Unified Complex Radio Antenna) project — the first IndiaJapan defence technology co-development initiative — and its consolidation at the 16th India-Japan Annual Summit held in New Delhi in July 2026. The paper first develops a conceptual framework distinguishing technology transfer, licensed production, co-production, and co-development as analytically separate categories, and uses this framework to interrogate whether the UNICORN project satisfies the definitional criteria of genuine co-development or is more accurately characterised as advanced, localisation-heavy co-production. It then situates the case within the theoretical literature on soft balancing, zone balancing, and defenceindustrial indigenisation, derives three testable hypotheses, and evaluates them against a process-traced account of India-Japan defence cooperation since 2008, Japan's evolving defence equipment transfer regime, and the outcomes of the 16th Annual Summit. The paper finds partial support for all three hypotheses, situates its findings against the comparative precedent of Indo-Russian defence cooperation, and concludes with policy recommendations and a research agenda for tracking the project's implementation.
