India and Japan to Co-develop Naval Radio Antenna Based on UNICORN
9th July 2026
UNICORN integrates various antennas into a single mast to improve stealth. From top to bottom this includes an ES-R antenna, ES-C antenna, WiFi band antenna, LINK-16 antenna, UHF antenna, IFF antenna, U/VHF antenna and TACAN antenna. UNICORN was jointly developed by three Japanese companies: NEC, Sampa Kogyo and Yokohama Rubber. The prime contractor NEC provided hardware integration and Tactical Air Navigation (TACAN) systems. Sampa Kogyo provided antenna technologies and maintenance experience while Yokohama Rubber developed the frequency selective radome. Saab had recently pitched its SLIM integrated mast solution.
During DefExpo 2022, Indian Navy’s Directorate of Electrical Engineering had showcased a project for two phase development of an Indigenous Integrated Mast (IIM) with Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL) as the production partner. The current status of the project remains unclear. It is likely that the project will be progressed or merged with the localized adaptation of UNICORN.