Assembly begins on new countermeasures systems for Royal Australian Navy ships

Rheinmetall Defence Australia has commenced assembly of the first multi ammunition soft kill (MASS) shipsets destined for installation onto Royal Australian Navy (RAN) vessels.

The MASS system is an "off-board" countermeasures system to defeat incoming missile and asymmetric threats with a tailored soft kill and screening effect for naval vessels. The system will initially be used to equip six platforms and could potentially be fitted to the RAN's future fleet.

The countermeasures initiated by the system generate a decoy target, which the incoming missile then interprets to be a higher-value asset, ultimately causing the threat to veer off course.

MASS can send these countermeasures autonomously, taking into account wind and the ship’s navigation data as well as information concerning the nature of the threat.

Nathan Poyner, Rheinmetall Defence Australia Managing Director, said that MASS was selected for installation following extensive trials.

Poyner added that although the contract end date is 2027, Rheinmetall Defence Australia is responsible for the sustainment of the countermeasure units beyond that time.