Rheinmetall Defence Australia has teamed up with Adelaide-based technology company Supashock, to develop a what the company claims to be a world-first sea mine rail deployment system, known as the Mine Rail Deployment System (MRDS).
According to Rheinmetall the MRDS “revolutionises payload deployment, reducing deck footprint, and increasing payload replenishment efficiency”, while being scalable and able to adapted to suit a range of different maritime vessels.
Nathan Poyner, managing director, Rheinmetall Defence Australia, said that the MRDS was developed to “allow for the storage and deployment of sea mines” by international navies.
“In a world-first, the design means that the rack remains fixed to the ship and the deployment appliance basket is not discarded into the ocean as is the current model,” Poyner said. “The MRDS will be future-ready to integrate automation, further increasing on-deck operational efficiency.”
Oscar Fiorinotto, managing director of Supashock, said in a 6 November Rheinmetall release that the MRDS would be designed, tested and manufactured at the organisation’s Holden Hill facility in suburban Adelaide.
Rheinmetall stated that MRDS also offers enhanced safety features such as jettison capability, improved ergonomics and a weather shelter that protects crew and disguises deck activity during transport or operations.
