Germany selects Rheinmetall ROSY smoke protection system

Rheinmetall will supply its Rapid Obscurant System Land (ROSY_L) to the German armed forces under a new €8.5 million order announced on 19 June. The ROSY_L system is designed to provide effective concealment for ground forces.

The contract will see Rheinmetall provide smoke launchers and installation kits for 500 vehicles and weapon stations, and 50,000 rounds of associated 40mm multispectral smoke ammunition.

ROSY_L improves force protection in high-risk areas of operation such as Afghanistan. The smoke protection system helps to protect the crew and passengers of military and civilian vehicles from surprise attacks and ambushes, such as during reconnaissance patrols or while travelling in convoy.

According to Rheinmetall, the German military plans to use the system primarily for equipping lightweight wheeled and logistical vehicles, in order to bridge a special capabilities gap in deployed operations.

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). Due to effective screening in the visual and infrared spectrums, including integrated IR jamming and decoying effects, ROSY_L can also effectively prevent 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.