Rheinmetall's Mass Naval Decoy System Successfully Installed On-Board German Navy F123 Frigate
22 May 2007 15:15
Eager to keep German naval personnel assigned to the UNIFIL mission off the coast of Lebanon as safe as possible and ensure a level of force protection equal to the threat, in December 2006 the German Federal Ministry of Defence contracted with Rheinmetall Defence to immediately equip the German Navy's F123 frigate Schleswig-Holstein with the Multi Ammunition Softkill System (MASS) naval decoy system. Since only a few weeks remained before Schleswig-Holstein was due to depart for the Eastern Mediterranean, speed was of the essence.
Rising to the challenge, a Rheinmetall team successfully installed MASS on board Schleswig-Holstein by the end of March 2007. This was the first time the system had been installed on board a NATO frigate-class ship, and it was also the first time MASS had been directly linked to a ship's sensors.
During the sea acceptance test on the high seas, the state-of-the-art naval decoy system was put through its paces and accepted by the German Navy. In particular, the effectiveness of MASS against genuine threats was successfully demonstrated during towed flight trials.
MASS USED FOR OMAN'S OCEAN PATROL VESSELS
In a separate development, Britain's VT Group has contracted with Rheinmetall Defence to supply MASS naval decoy systems for the new Khareef-class Ocean Patrol Vessels destined for the Royal Navy of Oman. Worth some €5 million, the order encompasses three two-launcher MASS systems and accompanying ammunition.
Since the product's launch in 2003, Rheinmetall Defence has booked orders for MASS from the navies of seven nations – a total of 76 launchers for 12 different classes of vessels ranging in size from patrol boats to corvettes to frigates.
MASS has already been successfully introduced by the navies of Germany (K130 corvettes), Finland (SQUADRON 2000), Norway (SKJOLD patrol boats), Sweden (Visby, Göteborg and Malmö-class vessels), the United Arab Emirates (Baynunah programme) as well as one other country in the Middle East.
PROTECTION FROM ADVANCED, SENSOR-GUIDED MISSILES
Guided missiles pose an increasing threat to civilian and naval shipping. As recently as July 2006, two ships off the coast of Lebanon were hit by C802 missiles; a freighter was sunk and a warship seriously damaged. Since 1967, some 250 such attacks on ships have been recorded worldwide.
MASS protects ships from attacks by advanced, sensor-guided missiles on the high seas and in coastal zones as well as from asymmetric threats. When the decoys are launched, they distract and seduce the missile's target seeking system.
Fully automatic, the MASS decoy system offers substantial tactical, operational and logistical advantages, and can be installed on ships of all types. It can be integrated into any command and control system, but also operated on a stand-alone basis. Programmable and omni-spectral, the system's innovative ammunition assures protection in all relevant wavelengths of the electromagnetic spectrum (UV, EO, laser, infrared and radar).
For more information on this company:
Rheinmetall Waffe Munition GmbH - Naval Weapon and Protection Systems
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