Rheinmetall Starts Work On Countermeasures Systems For Australian Navy

Defence firm Rheinmetall has announced its Australian arm has begun assembly work on six MASS countermeasures systems destined to be installed on Royal Australian Navy (RAN) frigates and destroyers.

As per a recent Rheinmetall Defence Australia press statement, the Multi Ammunition Soft Kill (MASS) systems are scheduled to be delivered by the end of 2027. The €125m contract was secured in May 2023 and the systems will initially be used to equip its Hobart-class destroyers and ANZAC-class frigates.

The ‘off-board’ countermeasures system counters incoming missiles and other asymmetric threats by automatically firing decoy targets designed to attract the attention of incoming projectiles and cause them to veer off course.

The MASS system autonomously detects, selects the relevant countermeasure and fires it for optimal effect, taking into account wind and the ship’s navigation data.

Rheinmetall produces several variants of the system, which is in use by at least 16 navies worldwide. In the standard version, MASS features up to six trainable launchers, each of which can fire up to 32 decoys.

Other versions of the MASS system include variants with an integrated sensor suite capable of detecting both radar and laser threats; corner reflectors, anti-torpedo decoys, and additional launching tubes for distraction rockets.

The firm states there is potential for the initial six-system order to be extended to fit the MASS system onto every RAN vessel.

Managing Director of Rheinmetall Defence Australia Nathan Poyner commented: “This is the group’s single-biggest order ever for ship protection technology and could potentially grow to equip Australia’s entire fleet.

“Rheinmetall Defence Australia assembles the systems in Australia, before installing and commissioning them on-board the Navy’s seagoing surface combatants.”

He added: “The Australian MASS contract has secured more than 30 new jobs... While the contract end date is 2027, Rheinmetall Defence Australia is responsible for the sustainment of these countermeasure units beyond that time.”

• You can read more details on the Rheinmetall website