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MANTIS Air Defence System (''Modular, Automatic and Network Capable Targeting and Interception System''), formerly titled NBS-C-RAM ( Counter Rocket, Artillery, and Mortar), is a very short range air defence protection system of the
German Air Force The German Air Force (, ) is the aerial warfare branch of the , the armed forces of Germany. The German Air Force (as part of the ) was founded in 1956 during the era of the Cold War as the aerial warfare branch of the armed forces of West Ger ...
, intended for base-protection. It is produced by Rheinmetall Air Defence, a subsidiary of
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 ...
of Germany. It is a part of the air force's future ''SysFla'' air-defence project.


System

The MANTIS system is intended to detect, track and shoot down incoming projectiles before they can reach their target within very close range. The system itself is based on Oerlikon Contraves'
Skyshield Skyshield air-defence system is a Modularity, modular, light weight, short range air defense (SHORAD) system developed by the Swiss corporation Oerlikon Contraves (now a subsidiary of Rheinmetall of Germany). The successor to the Oerlikon 35 m ...
air defence gun system. A MANTIS system consists of six 35 mm automatic guns (capable of firing 1,000 rounds per minute), a ground control unit and two sensor units. The guns fire programmable AHEAD ammunition, developed by Rheinmetall Weapons and Munitions - Switzerland (formerly Oerlikon Contraves Pyrotec). The ammunition carries a payload of 152
tungsten Tungsten (also called wolfram) is a chemical element; it has symbol W and atomic number 74. It is a metal found naturally on Earth almost exclusively in compounds with other elements. It was identified as a distinct element in 1781 and first ...
projectiles weighing 3.3 g (51 gr) each. The MANTIS radar can acquire a target within two seconds, then engage it with one of the guns firing a 36-round burst. Two guns directed by one radar each can engage multiple targets. After being manually activated, the system operates fully automatically. Originally, 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 ...
ordered a first batch of two systems in 2009, to be delivered in 2013, with two more systems planned to follow later but these were never bought. Both MANTIS systems were transferred to the
German Air Force The German Air Force (, ) is the aerial warfare branch of the , the armed forces of Germany. The German Air Force (as part of the ) was founded in 1956 during the era of the Cold War as the aerial warfare branch of the armed forces of West Ger ...
, which is responsible for all air defence tasks. The German Air Force took possession of the first MANTIS system on January 1, 2011. It was first deployed to Mali at the end of 2017, although without the guns. The first two systems cost around €110.8 million, plus another €20 million for training and documentation purposes. In a follow-on contract, worth around €13.4 million, Rheinmetall would also deliver the corresponding ammunition to the Bundeswehr. On 7 February 2023, Germany announced it would be donating the two MANTIS systems to Slovakia to strengthen Slovak air defences permanently. On 24 October 2023, The
Armed Forces of the Slovak Republic The Armed Forces of the Slovakia, Slovak Republic were divided from the Czechoslovak Army after dissolution of Czechoslovakia on 1 January 1993. Slovakia joined NATO on 29 March 2004. From 2006 the army transformed into a fully professional orga ...
(Ozbrojené sily Slovenskej republiky) took over the Mantis air defence system from the German Air Force at the 11th Air Force Brigade in
Nitra Nitra (; also known by other #Etymology, alternative names) is a city in western Slovakia, situated at the foot of Zobor Mountain in the valley of the river Nitra (river), Nitra. It is located 95 km east of Bratislava. With a population of ...
. Their task will be to strengthen the protection of the eastern border with
Ukraine Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It is the List of European countries by area, second-largest country in Europe after Russia, which Russia–Ukraine border, borders it to the east and northeast. Ukraine also borders Belarus to the nor ...
.


Operators


Former operators

* : 2 Systems donated to Slovakia in 2023


Current operators

* : 2 Donated by Germany in 2023


See also

*
CIWS A close-in weapon system (CIWS ) is a point-defense weapon system for detecting and destroying short-range incoming missiles and enemy aircraft which have penetrated the outer defenses, typically mounted on a naval ship. Nearly all classes of ...
*
LFK NG LFK NG from ''Lenkflugkörper Neue Generation'' ("New Generation Guided Missile") was a cancelled short-range surface-to-air missile system under development for the German Army by MBDA Germany and Diehl Defence as a replacement for its Rolan ...
—the new air-defence missile of the German Army within the "SysFla" project *
Phalanx CIWS The Phalanx CIWS () is an automated gun-based close-in weapon system to defend military watercraft automatically against incoming threats such as aircraft, missiles, and small boats. It was designed and manufactured by the General Dynamics Co ...
—In 2004 the United States began to develop a land-based standalone model of its Phalanx Weapon System called the Centurion CRAM which was deployed to the Middle East in 2008 *
Rheinmetall Oerlikon Millennium Gun The Rheinmetall Oerlikon Millennium Gun or Rheinmetall GDM-008 is a close-in weapon system designed by Rheinmetall Air Defence AG (formerly known as Oerlikon Contraves) for mounting on ships. It is based on the 35/1000 revolver gun land-based a ...
—Naval CIWS by Rheinmetall using same gun


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Nbs C-Ram 35 mm artillery Anti-aircraft guns of Germany Anti-aircraft guns Anti-aircraft weapons Military equipment introduced in the 2010s Missile defense Post–Cold War weapons of Germany Rheinmetall