The Danish Armed Forces have commissioned Rheinmetall to supply the MASS decoy system. A contract to this effect was recently signed in Copenhagen. In total, Rheinmetall will supply a number of Multi Ammunition Softkill Systems (MASS): for both the ABSALON-class frigates, the IVER-HUITFELDT-class frigates and the Royal Danish Navy’s Weapons School. In addition, the Danish Armed Forces have ordered a quantity of Omnitrap-ER decoys. Deliveries are scheduled to commence in the fourth quarter of 2027. The contract value, which was booked in the second quarter of 2026, amounts to a two-digit million figure in euros In addition, a supply contract with a term of up to 21 years has been signed to enable the Danish Navy to replenish its MASS stock.
“The past few months have demonstrated the outstanding role played by the Danish Navy in NATO’s maritime defence in the Baltic Sea, the North Sea and also in the Arctic. Against this backdrop, we are particularly grateful that we have now also been able to convince the Danish Navy of the superiority of our MASS system as a soft-kill protection system for its frigates. With this order from Denmark, every Scandinavian navy now has the Rheinmetall MASS launcher in service. Denmark becomes the 18th country to use this technology,” said Hauke H. Bindzus, CEO of Rheinmetall’s Business Unit Protection Systems.
For MASS, this order means that the battle proven decoy system has now become the standard within the Scandinavian navies. In total, MASS is currently in use by 18 nations, with over 400 decoy launchers in operation worldwide. MASS protects ships and boats from a wide range of threats, such as attacks by anti-ship missiles or laser-guided weapons – in blue water environment as well as in shallow water missions or on rivers. It offers multispectral decoys using a single system. To this end, it covers all relevant wavelength ranges, including radar, ultraviolet, electro-optical sensors, lasers and infrared. Thanks to its modular design, MASS can be installed on vessels of any size – from offshore patrol vessels to frigates. It can be integrated into existing command and weapon control systems with minimal effort or operated as a stand-alone system.
Multi Ammunition Softkill System (MASS) is a naval self-defence system produced by Rheinmetall of Germany. It is connected to the ship’s sensors and protects ships from attacks by advanced sensor-guided missiles by launching decoys that operate in all relevant wavelengths of the electromagnetic spectrum: ultraviolet, electro-optical, laser, infrared and radar. MASS can either be integrated with the command and control system of a warship, or can operate autonomously. In the standard version, MASS consists of up to six trainable launchers, each of which can fire up to 32 Omni Trap decoy munitions. The new MASS nova (Multi Ammunition Softkill System) heralds a new era in maritime self-protection. Designed from the ground up, it combines state-of-the-art technology with over 25 years of experience in defending against current and future threats. The result is a system that sets new standards in effectiveness, adaptability and ease of use.
