Rheinmetall kicks off MASS assembly for Australian Navy’s vessels

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

The MASS system is an ‘off-board’ countermeasure system to defeat incoming missile and asymmetric threats with a tailored soft kill and screening effect for naval vessels. MASS, will initially be used to equip six platforms and could potentially be fitted to navy’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 sends these countermeasures autonomously, taking into account wind and the ship’s navigation data as well as information concerning the nature of the threat, according to Rheinmetall.

“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,” Nathan Poyner, Rheinmetall Defence Australia Managing Director, said.

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

The MASS systems ordered by the Australian Navy are assembled and tested at Rheinmetall Defence Australia’s center of excellence for military vehicles.

Poyner added that the company’s partnership with the Royal Australian Navy is a key element of its long-term investment in Australia’s defense capability.

To remind, Rheinmetall recently received a contract to supply training simulators to the German Navy.