A blade antenna comprising: an upper blade element made of conductive, planar material having a profile that curves upwardly from a centrally-located feed point; and a lower blade element made of conductive, planar material having a profile that curves downwardly from the feed point, wherein the lower blade element is configured to be connected to a ground and has a thickness that is at least three times a thickness of the upper blade element, and wherein the curved profiles of the upper and lower blade elements are disposed with respect to one another so as to form a tapered slot on each side of the feed point.