Posted on August 28, 2015 September 17, 2015 by N.R.P The best position for a sensor on a ship, is on top of the highest mast. Multiple sensors mean multiple an‐ tennas; hence ending up close together. Such an arrangement requires the need to switch one system off before another one can be used. As all sensor systems are installed separately on the ship, and then sub‐ sequently integrated and tested, they add considerably to the time and cost required for building a naval vessel.With recent development of integrated masts for warships, gone are the dozens of antennas and sensors found on practically every flat topside surface of a modern naval vessel. These integrated masts allow the exploitation of modern materials and technology to improve sensor per‐ formance and coverage with pre‐outfiting, leading to reduced cost of construction due to reduced time overruns. This article, by Commander Nitin Agarwala, who is now a contributing author for Defencyclo‐ pedia, explores the developments in integrated mast design for integration of electronic warfare (EW),communication and Radar and their future in warship construction. How does an antenna become designated for use in navigation, weapon fire control, communications, electronic countermeasures or for any other reason, and ultimately installed on board a Naval surface ship? The answer should be, it’s part of the antenna design procedure. Though the answer is simple, the process is not. There was a time, when this design procedure, referred to as dart‐boarding, was based on an educated guess for the most feasible layout of the antennas, followed by experimental veri fication. Integrated masts – The next generation design for naval masts | Defencycl... http://defencyclopedia.com/2015/08/28/integrated-masts-the-next-generat... 1 of 17 2/16/2016 8:21 PM