The Bundeswehr is procuring Rheinmetall's
Rapid Obscurant System Land (ROSY_L) for protecting ground vehicles, the
first customer to do so.
Germany’s Federal Agency for Bundeswehr Equipment, Information
Technology and In-Service Support (BAAINBw) has contracted with the
Düsseldorf-based Group to supply the German military with smoke launchers and
installation kits for 500 vehicles and weapon stations.
Worth around €8.5 million, the
initial order also encompasses 50,000 rounds of associated 40mm multispectral
smoke ammunition.
ROSY_L is said to make a significant contribution to improving force protection
in high-risk areas of operation such as Afghanistan.
The Bundeswehr plans to use the
system primarily for equipping lightweight wheeled and logistical vehicles,
thus bridging a special capabilities gap in deployed operations.
ROSY_L has been fully qualified by
the BAAINBw.
The ROSY_L smoke protection system helps to protect the crew and passengers of
military and civilian vehicles from surprise attacks and ambushes for example
during reconnaissance patrols or while travelling in convoy. Unlike
conventional smoke and obscurant systems, ROSY_L produces within one second an
instantaneous, large-area, multispectral interruption of the line of sight that
shields even moving vehicles with a dynamic, long-lasting smoke screen.
Its multi-mission capability assures 360° protection from multiple attackers
(stream and wave attacks). Moreover, thanks to effective screening in the
visual and infrared spectrums, including integrated IR jamming and decoying
effects, ROSY_L effectively thwarts attacks with all types of TV-, EO-, IR-,
IIR-, laser- und SACLOS-guided weapons.
ROSY_L encompasses a basic system with a manual control unit and from one to
four ROSY launchers per vehicle. A “one-click” adapter makes mounting the
system on vehicles quick and easy, with no need for tools, particularly
suitable for “fitted-for” installations.
Furthermore, the system features extreme modularity and can be directly linked
to the sensor suite of the carrier vehicle’s computer systems. The ammunition
variants can be individually selected and triggered, enabling optimum
positioning of smoke screens.
Along with the Bundeswehr, customers from Scandinavia, the Benelux states,
Russia and Eastern Europe as well as North Africa and the Middle East have all
expressed a strong interest in ROSY_L.
Rheinmetall's Rapid Obscurant System Land (ROSY_L).
