Multifunctional Self protection System (MUSS, ) is a soft kill

active protection system An active protection system (APS) is a system designed to actively prevent certain anti-tank weapons from destroying a vehicle. Countermeasures that either conceal the vehicle from or disrupt the guidance of an incoming guided missile threat are ...

developed to protect military vehicles against guided

anti-tank missile An anti-tank guided missile (ATGM), anti-tank missile, anti-tank guided weapon (ATGW) or anti-armor guided weapon is a missile guidance, guided missile primarily designed to hit and destroy armoured fighting vehicle, heavily armored military v ...

s.EADS.com press releas
"EADS-Technologie schützt Panzerfahrzeuge Neues System für Selbstschutz vorgestellt"
(German)

History

MUSS was developed by

EADS Airbus SE ( ; ; ; ) is a Pan-European aerospace corporation. The company's primary business is the design and manufacturing of commercial aircraft but it also has separate defence and space and helicopter divisions. Airbus has long been th ...

, Buck (a

Rheinmetall Rheinmetall AG () is a German automotive and arms manufacturer, headquartered in Düsseldorf, Germany. The group was promoted to the DAX, Germany's leading stock market index, in March 2023. It is the largest German and fifth largest Europe ...

subsidiary) and Krauss-Maffei Wegmann (KMW). Before September 2003, it was tested on a

Leopard 2 The Leopard 2 is a third generation German main battle tank (MBT). Developed by Krauss-Maffei in the 1970s, the tank entered service in 1979 and replaced the earlier Leopard 1 as the main battle tank of the West German army. Various iterat ...

tank by the

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany, the country of the Germans and German things **Germania (Roman era) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizenship in Germany, see also Ge ...

. The German Puma

infantry fighting vehicle An infantry fighting vehicle (IFV), also known as a mechanized infantry combat vehicle (MICV), is a type of armoured fighting vehicle and armoured personnel carrier used to carry infantry into battle and provide direct fire, direct-fire suppo ...

has been equipped with MUSS, after EADS was awarded a contract in 2006.Army-technology.co
"Puma"
/ref> Hensoldt delivered the 300th MUSS active protection system to the

German Army The German Army (, 'army') is the land component of the armed forces of Federal Republic of Germany, Germany. The present-day German Army was founded in 1955 as part of the newly formed West German together with the German Navy, ''Marine'' (G ...

on 19 September 2019. A total of 342 MUSS systems were delivered by 2020. In July 2016, the UK's Defence Science and Technology Laboratory placed a £7.6 million contract with QinetiQ to evaluate the MUSS system for armoured vehicles, particularly the

Challenger 2 The FV4034 Challenger 2 (MoD designation "CR2") is a third generation British main battle tank (MBT) in service with the armies of the United Kingdom, Oman, and Ukraine. It was designed by Vickers Defence Systems (now Rheinmetall BAE Systems ...

main battle tank.

MUSS

MUSS consists of three main elements: the sensor units, detecting incoming threats, the computer unit for processing the informations and the countermeasures used to engage them. The sensors are called MUSS Sensor Heads (MSHs) by Hensoldt and operate compeltely passive. They feature the PMILDS sensor, a variant of the AN/AAR-60 Missile Launch Detection System (MILDS) ultraviolet sensors with an additional laser warner. The MUSS Central Electronics (MCE), i.e. the computer unit, processes the informations from the MSHs and engages the electronic or pyrotechnic countermeasures (for example an infrared jamming device), if a projectile has been detected. The current version of MUSS uses a combination of two countermeasures: an IR and UV jammer called the MUSS Jammer Head (MJH) by Hensoldt and multi-spectral smoke grenade dischargers, typically mounted on rotatable rails. MUSS offers 360° protection with elevation up to 70° and can handle up to four threats at once. Depending on application the weight of the system can vary between 65 and 160 kg.Defense-Update
"Multifunction Self Protection System"
File:MUSS MJH.jpg, The MUSS Jammer Head mounted ontop of a Puma IFV File:MUSS sensors on Puma IFV turret.JPG, Front and left MSHs on the turret of a Puma IFV File:AN-AAR-60 MILDS.jpg, A

Tiger The tiger (''Panthera tigris'') is a large Felidae, cat and a member of the genus ''Panthera'' native to Asia. It has a powerful, muscular body with a large head and paws, a long tail and orange fur with black, mostly vertical stripes. It is ...

's AN/AAR-60 MILDS sensor. The MSH is derived from it File:MUSS sensor Puma IFV.jpg, Close-up of a MUSS Sensor Head

MUSS 2.0

In November 2021, Hensoldt announced the development of an improved version known as "MUSS 2.0". The development of MUSS 2.0 was commissioned by the Federal Office of Bundeswehr Equipment, Information Technology and In-Service Support and includes optimizations in regards to size and weight while improving the capabilities of the missile warners and laser detectors. MUSS 2.0 can also detect second-generation laser rangefinders, laser beam riding missiles such as Kornet and can act as hostile fire indicator. It is compliant to the NATO Generic Vehicle Architecture (NGVA). In August 2024, the Fraunhofer-Institut für Kommunikation, Informationsverarbeitung und Ergonomie presented an additional sensor module for MUSS 2.0 that has been developed in cooperation with Hensoldt. The sensor module uses a total of 120 MEMS microphones to detect the noises generated by the propellers of drones, determining azimuth and elevation to the drone. The sensor module is dodecagonal shaped like the base of the MUSS Jammer Head 2.0 and can be mounted below it. MUSS 2.0 has been showcased on the KF51-U main battle tank and the Boxer RCT30. It is being procured by the German Army on the second batch of Puma IFVs. KF-51U_03.jpg, KF51-U Panther with MUSS 2.0, Iron Fist and StrikeShield DSCN7330-crop_-_Copy.jpg, Boxer RCT30 with MUSS 2.0

ODAEON

In February 2025, Hensoldt announced that it had been awarded a €17.6 million contract to develop the ODAEON optical detection system based on the MUSS 2.0 Jammer Head. It is being developed in cooperation with the BAAINBw. ODAEON automatically detects optics of enemy systems such as the surveillance optics of drones and the targeting systems of anti-tank systems. In later development steps, additional protective functions such as dazzling and jamming can be implemented. In the future, the it is planned to combine MUSS and ODAEON technologies into a single system.

References

External links

Defense-Update.com "Multifunction Self Protection System"

"Hensoldt"
{{APS Weapons countermeasures Land active protection systems Armoured fighting vehicle equipment Military equipment introduced in the 2000s