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Rheinmetall has confirmed it would manufacture and sustain its 35mm ‘Millennium Gun’ at the company’s MILVEHCOE facility as part of its offer to the Commonwealth to deliver a single weapon system to meet current needs of the Royal Australian Navy fleet as well as future-proof against emerging self-defence and mission requirements.
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Defence Connect understands that while the Millennium Gun system – currently in service with nations including Indonesia and Denmark – is currently designed and manufactured in Switzerland, Rheinmetall has proposed to transfer technology from Europe to its new state-of-the-art manufacturing facility in Redbank Queensland as part of its offer to the Commonwealth.
Millennium is a highly flexible and powerful weapon that is unique in its capability for effective self-defence against threats to ships at close range. In particular, the Millennium Gun has the ability to engage a broad spectrum of air and surface threats from high speed anti-ship missiles to UAVs, fighters, rotary wing aircraft as well as small, highly manoeuvrable fast inshore attack craft.
A proven “multi-tool” like the Millennium will significantly aid in the survivability of the platform in any multi-threat scenario. Millennium’s accuracy and high rate of fire delivers superior fire power, lethality and cost-per-kill ratio compared to others in the 20-40mm calibre bracket.
Rheinmetall’s new facility in Queensland is the cornerstone of the company’s commitment to building Australian industry capability (AIC) and is designed to produce military hardware for the Australian Defence Force and for export. Also known as the Military Vehicle Centre of the Excellence (MILVEHCOE), the facility is purpose built for design manufacturing with test infrastructure including an EMC chamber, small calibre (up to 35mm) firing tunnel and prototyping workshop.
Capability across the new precinct runs from heavy manufacturing to a clean room for Rheinmetall’s digital and optics systems as well as a sophisticated armour manufacturing shop, featuring a state-of-the-art press that will produce an array of composite ballistic materials; in short, a self-protection production capability for ballistic protection for ships and vehicles.
Millennium’s unique AHEAD air burst ammunition will also be produced in Australia delivering critical sovereign capacity. Precise programming for each individual AHEAD round maximises hit probability and energy on target at extended ranges to enforce a keep out zone around a vessel.
AHEAD sub-projectiles also have a significant destructive effect on electro-optic sensors, which provides for a tertiary anti-submarine warfare capability for Millennium, particularly when submarine optronic mast exposure is likely to be high when operating in littoral waters.
Integrated with a number of combat systems and associated radar and electro-optic sensors, Millennium is proven and in service at sea today. The 35mm Millennium Gun requires no deck penetration. It offers a range of versatile mounting options including the ‘containerised’ ISO Mount option, which allows deployment of Millennium as a mission module on almost any class of ship without any major structural alterations.
Delivering anti-surface and anti-air capabilities in one inner layer self defence system, the Millennium system will directly support the primary surface combatant role and afford superior protection for Amphibious and Afloat Support platforms particularly in light of the increased breadth of the contemporary and evolving threat spectrum.
