Royal Navy chooses MetOcean MASS

MetOcean Telematics has been selected to supply the Royal Navy with its new Maritime Acoustic Scoring and Simulation System (MASS).

The United Kingdom Ministry of Defence (MoD) awarded MetOcean an extensive contract vehicle to supply MASS, and systems will soon be commissioned by the Royal Navy.

MASS is described as the world’s first over-the-horizon naval surface fire support (NSFS) and naval gunfire scoring and simulation (NGSS) system.

As explained, the system will enable the Royal Navy to view and analyze real-time results from fire surface gunnery exercises, air-to-ground weapons exercises, and other test and evaluation events.

The marine-based system is free-floating and consists of a set of operational monitoring buoys. These buoys transmit acoustic event data, point of impact, and precise time over the Iridium satellite network to both on-ship and land-based command posts for real-time analysis. This permits navies to conduct training activities at secure locations while deployed at sea, according to Iridium.

The MASS solution is said to minimize the human and environmental risks associated with land-ranges and helps eliminate costly travel time, personnel resources, and excessive fuel costs for navies. The Royal New Zealand Navy awarded MetOcean a similar contract for MASS in 2018.

“MASS is the future of naval gunfire training.  It’s less than 1-meter accuracy, ruggedness, and reliability will greatly enhance the Royal Navy’s gunfire scoring capabilities,” Tony Chedrawy, President & CEO, MetOcean Telematics, said.