Denmark’s arms procurement agency has awarded Rheinmetall an approximately 745 million kroner ($116 million) contract to provide its Multi Ammunition Softkill System (MASS) self-protection systems for the Danish Navy’s Absalon-class and Iver Huitfeldt-class frigates.
Under the seven-year contract, which can be extended to 20 years, Denmark will acquire five decoy-launching systems. The broader framework agreement is valued at up to 1.275 billion kroner ($198 million) and also covers ammunition supplies and maintenance services.
System integration will be conducted at facilities in Korsør and Frederikshavn, Denmark.
The MASS systems will be installed aboard two Absalon-class anti-submarine warfare frigates and three Iver Huitfeldt-class air-defense frigates. The capability is intended to improve the vessels’ survivability against threats including anti-ship missiles and laser-guided weapons.
Multi Ammunition Softkill System
Rheinmetall’s MASS is an off-board soft-kill countermeasure system designed to defend naval vessels against anti-ship missiles and other sensor-guided threats. It deploys multispectral Omni Trap decoys to confuse and divert incoming weapons away from the protected vessel.
The system can autonomously determine which decoys to deploy based on factors such as wind conditions, the ship’s navigation data and the characteristics of the detected threat.
MASS can be configured with up to six launchers, with each launcher capable of carrying up to 32 decoys. The system is suitable for platforms ranging from offshore patrol vessels to frigates and can operate independently or be integrated with existing command-and-control and weapon-control systems.
