MASS Decoy System Protects Naval Units Operating Off Lebanon
21 February 2007 17:05
Guided missiles and rockets pose an increasing threat to civilian and military shipping. As recently as July 2006, two vessels operating off the coast of Lebanon were attacked with C802 anti-ship missiles; a freighter was sunk and a surface combatant severely damaged. Since 1967, some 250 similar attacks on ships have taken place worldwide.
Rheinmetall's MASS (Multi Ammunition Softkill System) naval self-defence system protects ships from attacks by advanced, sensor-guided missiles – whether on the high seas or in coastal waters – as well as against asymmetric terrorist attacks. The decoys operate by seducing the incoming missile's target-seeking system.
In order to provide the greatest possible protection to Bundeswehr personnel taking part in the UNIFIL operation off Lebanon, the German Navy has contracted with Rheinmetall to retrofit its F123-class frigate Schleswig-Holstein with a MASS decoy system, responding to an immediate operational requirement. On December the 1st, 2006, the German Ministry of Defence authorised immediate implementation of the order and released the necessary funds. For Rheinmetall, the order is worth around €4 million.
The Schleswig-Holstein will be the first NATO vessel to be equipped with a MASS system directly linked to the ship's sensors. A special challenge is the narrow timeframe available for completing the order: it is only a few weeks before the Schleswig-Holstein sets out to join the UNIFIL operation at the beginning of April.
In September 2006, two Swedish Göteborg-class corvettes assigned to the UNIFIL operation – the Gävle and Sundsvall – were equipped with MASS technology in extremely short order. The Gävle has been stationed in the waters off Lebanon since October. Under extremely demanding logistical and organizational conditions, Rheinmetall installed MASS on the Gävle as a stand-alone solution directly linked to the ship's sensors.
An automated decoy system, MASS offers substantial tactical, operational and logistical advantages and can be installed on all kinds of ships. It can be integrated into any command system or operated as a stand-alone unit. The innovative, programmable omnispectral ammunition used by MASS guarantees protection in all relevant wavelengths of the electromagnetic spectrum (UV, EO, laser, infrared, radar).
MASS has already been successfully introduced by the navies of Germany (K130 corvettes), Finland (SQUADRON 2000), Norway (SKJOLD patrol craft), Sweden (Visby, Göteborg and Malmö-class vessels), the United Arab Emirates (the Baynunah programme) as well as another country in the Middle East.
At the end of December 2006, Rheinmetall Waffe Munition received a further order from the Finnish Navy for two MASS systems (in two-launcher configuration) and the accompanying ammunition for its HÄMEENMAA-class minelayers. The order is worth approximately €3.84 million.
For more information on this company:
Rheinmetall Waffe Munition GmbH - Protection Systems and Pyrotechnics
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