Rapid advances in information technology have intensified the threat posed by intelligent weapon systems. For years, Rheinmetall Defence has specialized in the development and production of systems for protecting people, vehicles, aircraft, ships and critical assets.
NAVAL PROTECTION
Guided missiles pose an increasing risk to naval vessels and civilian shipping alike. Rheinmetall’s MASS naval countermeasures system protects ships against advanced sensor-guided weapons on the high seas and in littoral zones, as well as from asymmetric threats. Standing for Multi Ammunition Softkill System, MASS works by firing decoys that divert incoming missiles from their intended targets.
Fully automatic, MASS offers substantial tactical, operational and logistical advantages, and can be installed on all types of ships. It can be integrated into existing command and control systems or serve as a stand-alone system. Programmable and omni-spectral, the MASS system’s innovative ammunition provides protection in all relevant wavelengths of the electromagnetic spectrum (radar, infrared, laser, electro-optic and ultraviolet).
Since its market launch in 2002, MASS has attracted orders from nine nations for a total of 130 launchers for 15 different classes of naval vessel. Around the world, this state-of-the-art system protects patrol boats, mine hunters, corvettes and, in the meantime, 23 frigates. In winning an important new order from the Canadian Navy recently, Rheinmetall Defence clearly outclassed its international competitors: MASS is now well on the way to becoming the new NATO standard.
Based on MASS technology, Rheinmetall Defence’s ROSY_N naval countermeasure system provides comprehensive defence against missiles for small vessels of the world’s navies and coast guards, particularly patrol boats and landing craft. Featuring instantaneous and dynamic screening capabilities, this 40mm system assures excellent protection against littoral and asymmetric threats such as antitank missiles.
Bullfighter is Rheinmetall Defence’s new generation of 130mm super rapid bloom offboard countermeasure decoys and launcher systems for protecting naval vessels up to the size of frigates from anti-ship missiles equipped with RF and/or IR seekers. Because of the way it is deployed, Bullfighter produces a radar countermeasuredensity six times higher than standard chaff-decoys. Its spectrally adjusted IR-payload produces a ship-like spectral signature in all IR-wave bands. This ensures the decoy’s effectiveness against all standard infrared sensors including two-colour infrared seekers.
VEHICLE PROTECTION
Rheinmetall Defence developed its new 40mm ROSY_L smoke protection system to protect light military and civilian vehicles from ambushes during patrols or when travelling in convoys. The smoke cartridges create an instantaneous, dense wall of smoke, concealing the vehicle and its passengers and significantly reducing the accuracy of enemy fire. Unlike conventional smoke protection systems, Rosy is able to generate dynamic smoke screens as well as instantaneous, large-area, multi-spectral interruption of the line of sight. Rosy thus provides sustained protection for moving and stationary objects. Moreover, its multi-mission capability offers a reliable defence against swarming attacks and human wave assaults. Due to its built-in IR jamming and decoying capabilities, Rosy effectively counters all types of guided munitions (TV, EO, IR, IIR, laser and SACLOS).
The company’s 66mm and 76mm SVPS smoke-based vehicle protection systems provide instantaneous protection against conventional weapons, weapons with optical devices and laser rangefinders. Thanks to sudden interruption of the line of sight (LOS) in the visual and infrared spectrum, the SVPS system significantly reduces the accuracy of enemy fire. The smoke/obscurant enables friendly vehicles to take evasive action, mount a counterattack or withdraw under cover. Screening and jamming result in guidance failure and/or loss of target information in infrared-guided munitions. Rheinmetall’s Maske smoke grenades can be deployed on virtually any type of tactical vehicle.
Since 2007, Rheinmetall has held a stake in the company Rheinmetall Chempro GmbH – one of Germany’s leading makers of passive protection systems for vehicles. Modern vehicle protection is a multifaceted process.
The product range includes passive add-on elements, whose optimum combination of various metals, ceramic and composite materials, formed into special shapes, assure a high degree of protection, e.g. against ballistic threats, mines and IEDs. The package can be extended to include spall liners fitted to the interior of the fighting compartment or transparent bullet-resistant ceramic plates serving as windows in protected vehicles. Finally, the fighting compartment can be redesigned, for example, by installing swinging seats for the crew. Applications for vessels and helicopters are available also.
The current threat situation requires protection concepts for soft-skinned systems which were previously unprotected. Leader in passive protection technology, Rheinmetall Defence and its partners develop and manufacture state-of-the-art protection components for a wide array of applications, including armoured truck cabs and semi-trailers as well as components for protecting helicopters.
AIRCRAFT PROTECTION
Rheinmetall Defence also produces highly efficient aerial decoys and flares for protecting cargo planes, helicopters and passenger jets from modern infrared surface-to-air and air-to-air guided missiles. These decoys can play a vital role in protecting crisis reaction forces and civil aviation, to cite just two examples.
All Rheinmetall aircraft protection systems produce an aircraft-like infrared signature combined with a rapid ascent time and high radiant output. Moreover, the systems’ effectiveness against surface-to-air guided missiles with two-colour analysis and UV discrimination has been successful demonstrated in repeated trials.
Come and visit Rheinmetall Defence at Idef 2009 at Tüyap Fair Convention and Congress Centre, Hall 2 – German Pavilion.
