About Unified Complex Radio Antenna (UNICORN):
- UNICORN, also known as NORA-50, is a shipborne integrated antenna system.
- It is a mast with integrated communication systems that is engineered to dramatically enhance a warship's stealth and situational awareness.
- Developed jointly by three Japanese companies (NEC Corporation, Sampa Kogyo K.K., and The Yokohama Rubber Co., Ltd.), the system is already in service aboard Japan’s Mogami-class frigates.
- What does UNICORN do?
- Conventional warships typically carry several exposed antennas – for radar, communications, and electronic warfare – bolted onto a mast.
- Each of these surfaces adds to a ship’s radar cross-section, making it easier for an adversary to detect.
- UNICORN does away with that arrangement by consolidating multiple antennas into a single enclosed radome mounted on one mast, cutting down the number of reflective surfaces a hostile radar can pick up.
- Its design stacks the antennas vertically inside a bar-shaped dome, moving components such as the tactical air navigation antenna from an exposed position at the top of the mast to a more sheltered spot lower down.
- A lightning diverter strip runs across the mast's surface as a safety measure, given the exposure of ships at sea to lightning strikes.
- Inside this unified mast are several vital subsystems, including those for tactical data links, Tactical Air Navigation Systems (TACAN), Identification Friend or Foe (IFF), Electronic Support Measures (ESM), and general communications.
- This innovation significantly reduces the cross-section of naval platforms, thereby enhancing their stealth characteristics and enabling them to operate with reduced electronic signatures.
- Beyond stealth, the system is also designed to reduce mutual interference between closely packed antennas, improve the range at which external radio signals can be detected, and simplify installation and maintenance.
- India-Japan Agreement:
- India and Japan signed a Memorandum of Implementation (MOI) on 15 November 2024 for the co-development of UNICORN masts.
- It is the first military hardware co-development pact between the two countries.
- Japan will provide the design and engineering support, while India will handle integration, adaptation, and co-production through Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL).
- The integrated mast is expected to gradually replace existing communication and sensor mast systems across the Navy's fleet.
