South Korea Boosts Naval Defenses with Upgraded Anti-Ship Missile Decoy System

South Korea has taken a significant step in strengthening its naval defenses by upgrading its shipborne anti-missile countermeasure system. The country’s Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA) recently announced improvements to its Multi Ammunition Soft Kill System (MASS), designed to protect warships from advanced anti-ship guided missiles.

First introduced to the South Korean Navy in 2014, the MASS system is an offboard countermeasure device built by Germany’s Rheinmetall. It works by launching decoys around a ship, creating a protective smokescreen and electronic interference to confuse incoming missiles. These decoys can mimic the ship’s infrared, electro-optical, laser, and radar signatures, tricking the missile into targeting a false object instead of the actual warship.

However, with advancements in missile technology, modern anti-ship missiles have become more sophisticated. Many of them now use radio-reflection signals to detect the difference between a real ship and a decoy. To address this growing threat, South Korea’s DAPA has upgraded the MASS system by adding a new feature — the Offboard Corner Reflector (OCR).

This new component, the OCR, is a type of deployable reflector that can imitate the unique way a ship reflects radar signals, especially around its corners where these signals are typically stronger and more irregular. By launching these corner reflectors into the air or water, the system can create more convincing false targets, making it harder for enemy missiles to identify and lock onto the actual ship.

The upgraded MASS has also been integrated with the existing combat systems and software aboard South Korean Navy vessels. This allows for better coordination between the decoy system, target management, engagement operations, and weapons control systems. As a result, naval commanders can manage threats more effectively and respond faster in the event of a missile attack.

The new upgrades have already been tested successfully in real sea conditions, demonstrating the system’s enhanced capability to counter modern missile threats. According to Park Jeong-eun, director of DAPA’s infrastructure power business support division, this improvement is expected to significantly boost the survivability of South Korean warships in combat situations.

Park stated, “With this performance improvement, we expect that the anti-ship missile response capability will be strengthened and the survivability of ships will be increased, which will significantly enhance the Navy’s operational capabilities. We will continue to contribute to the enhancement of the military’s combat capabilities by improving the performance of weapon systems using the latest technology.”

Specification Highlights of the Upgraded MASS System:

• Type: Multi Ammunition Soft Kill System (MASS)

• Function: Launches decoys to divert and deceive incoming anti-ship missiles

• Decoy Types: Mimics infrared, electro-optical, laser, and radar signatures

• New Feature: Offboard Corner Reflector (OCR) to simulate irregular radio-reflection signals

• Integration: Fully linked with ship’s combat management systems for seamless target management and engagement

• Deployment: First installed in 2014, with the latest upgrades tested in real sea trials

This upgrade underlines South Korea’s commitment to staying ahead in maritime defense technology, ensuring its naval forces remain well-protected in increasingly hostile and advanced threat environments.