The antenna mast of JS Kumano , the second of the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force's Mogami-class frigates. Japan plans to export the Unified Complex Radio Antenna system, which forms the main mast of the Mogami-class frigates, to India. (Janes/Vinod Kumar CV)
Japan and India are collaborating on unmanned and naval technologies to advance their defence partnership.
In a joint statement following meetings between the defence and foreign ministers of Japan and India on 20 August, the two countries announced the completion of their joint research project on unmanned ground vehicles (UGVs).
Progress has also been made to export Japan's “Unified Complex Radio Antenna (UNICORN) and related technologies” to India, the joint statement said. The UNICORN system is an antenna mast that includes sensors and transponders for communications, electronic warfare, and navigation, and will be installed on undisclosed Indian Navy vessels.
The joint statement did not provide more details about the joint UGV research project and export of UNICORNs.
UGV research
According to the Japan Ministry of Defense (MoD), it has been collaborating with the Indian defence ministry since July 2018 to conduct research on “visual simultaneous localisation and mapping (SLAM)-based global navigation satellite [services] (GNSS) augmentation technology” for UGVs. The research was conducted by the MoD's Acquisition, Technology and Logistics Agency (ATLA) and India's state-owned Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO).
In late March ATLA announced on X (formerly Twitter) that it had completed this research project in partnership with the DRDO's Centre for Artificial Intelligence and Robotics (CAIR).
UNICORN
UNICORN, also known as NORA-50, is an integrated antenna system developed by Japan's NEC Corporation.
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