Bengaluru-based Lekha Wireless has secured a significant contract from the Indian Navy to provide long-range communication systems designed for tracking and exchanging short messages between naval helicopters.

This marks a major step in strengthening indigenous airborne communication capabilities for India’s maritime forces.

Lekha Wireless, a homegrown technology company, has been steadily building its reputation in advanced wireless communication systems, particularly in the aerospace and defence domain.

The contract with the Indian Navy focuses on enabling secure, reliable, and long-range communication between helicopters engaged in maritime operations. These systems are intended to ensure seamless connectivity during missions, allowing helicopters to exchange short but critical messages in real time, even across extended ranges over sea.

The company’s expertise lies in the development of tactical software-defined radios (SDRs) and secure communication solutions. The systems being supplied are expected to integrate SDR technology, which allows flexibility in operating across multiple frequency bands, supports frequency hopping, and ensures compatibility with both legacy and advanced digital waveforms.

This adaptability is crucial for naval helicopters that often operate in contested environments where communication security and resilience are paramount.

The Indian Navy’s decision to award this contract reflects its broader push towards indigenous solutions under the Aatmanirbhar Bharat initiative. By relying on domestic firms like Lekha Wireless, the Navy aims to reduce dependence on foreign suppliers and strengthen its self-reliance in critical technologies. 

The systems will be particularly useful for helicopters engaged in anti-submarine warfare, search and rescue, and fleet support missions, where uninterrupted communication can be decisive.

Lekha Wireless has previously received support from the Technology Development Board (TDB) for its Tactical Advanced SDR project under the brand name “Antares.” This project included handheld SDRs, manpack SDRs, and Satcom SDRs, all designed for defence and aviation applications.

The Navy’s contract builds upon this foundation, ensuring that the company’s innovations are deployed in operational environments. The Antares SDR family is known for its ability to operate in L, S, and C bands, offering extended communication ranges and robust performance in maritime conditions.

The systems being delivered will also incorporate features such as secure data links, mesh networking, and MIL-standard compliance, ensuring they meet the rigorous demands of naval aviation.

These capabilities will allow helicopters to maintain situational awareness, coordinate manoeuvres, and relay mission-critical updates without interruption. Importantly, the communication solutions are designed to withstand electronic warfare threats, ensuring resilience against jamming and interception.

This contract also highlights the synergy between Lekha Wireless and CoreEL Technologies, which acquired Lekha’s aerospace and defence division in late 2025. The integration of CoreEL’s system design and engineering strengths with Lekha’s wireless expertise has created a powerful platform for delivering advanced communication solutions to India’s defence sector.

Together, they are positioned to accelerate research and development into next-generation communication systems, including UAV communication, missile telemetry, and secure airborne data links.

For the Indian Navy, the adoption of these indigenous systems represents a leap forward in operational readiness. Helicopters equipped with Lekha’s communication solutions will be able to coordinate more effectively during missions, enhancing fleet efficiency and safety. In the long term, this partnership strengthens India’s defence industrial base and ensures that critical communication technologies remain under national control.

Agencies