Phalanx CIWS

Phalanx CIWS
Phalanx CIWS
	Phalanx CIWS aboard USS Jason Dunham.
Type	Close-in weapon system
Place of origin	United States
Service history
In service	1980–present
Used by	See operators
Wars	Persian Gulf War
Production history
Designer	General Dynamics
Designed	1969
Manufacturer	General Dynamics
Unit cost	5 × Block 1B £8.56M each to UK; 9 × Block 1B US$13.66M each for SK; 13 × Mk 15 Block 1B Baseline 2 for TW, total cost: US$416M with 260,000 × Mk 244 Mod 0 armor-piercing bullet. 8 sets are for upgrading the current Block 0 to MK15 Phalanx Block 1B Baseline 2. Baseline2 is the newest model in Block 1B on 11/2016. (price may vary for different amounts of ammo, technical protocols, and personnel training.);
Produced	1978
Variants	3
Specifications
Mass	12,500 lb (5,700 kg) early models; 13,600 lb (6,200 kg) late models;
Barrel length	Block 0 & 1 (L76 gun barrel): 59.8 in (1,520 mm); Block 1B (L99 gun barrel): 78 in (2,000 mm);
Height	15.5 ft (4.7 m)
Crew	Automated, with human oversight
Shell	Naval: Armor-piercing tungsten penetrator rounds with discarding sabots; Land: High-explosive incendiary tracer, self-destruct;
Caliber	20×102mm
Barrels	6-barrel (progressive RH parabolic twist, 9 grooves)
Elevation	Block 0: −10°/+80°; Block 1: −20°/+80°; (Rate of elevation: 86°/s for Block 0/1); Block 1B: −25°/+85°; (Rate of elevation: 115°/s);
Traverse	150° from either side of centerline; (Rate of traverse: 100°/s for Block 0 & 115°/s for Block 1B);
Rate of fire	Block 0/1: 3,000 rounds/minute (50 rounds/second); Block 1A/1B: 4,500 rounds/minute (75 rounds/second);
Muzzle velocity	3,600 ft/s (1,100 m/s)
Effective firing range	1,625 yd (1,486 m) (max. effective range)
Maximum firing range	6,000 yd (5,500 m)
Main; armament	1×20 mm M61 Vulcan 6-barreled Gatling cannon
Guidance; system	Ku-band radar and FLIR

The Phalanx CIWS (SEE-wiz) 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 Corporation, Pomona Division, later a part of Raytheon. Consisting of a radar-guided 20 mm (0.8 in) Vulcan cannon mounted on a swiveling base, the Phalanx has been used by the United States Navy and the naval forces of 15 other countries. The U.S. Navy deploys it on every class of surface combat ship, except the Zumwalt-class destroyer and San Antonio-class amphibious transport dock. Other users include the British Royal Navy, the Royal Australian Navy, the Royal New Zealand Navy, the Royal Canadian Navy, and the U.S. Coast Guard.

A land variant, the LPWS (Land Phalanx Weapon System), part of the C-RAM system, was developed. It was deployed to counter rocket, artillery and mortar attacks during the 2021 US withdrawal from Afghanistan. The U.S. Navy also fields the SeaRAM system, which pairs the RIM-116 Rolling Airframe Missile with sensors based on the Phalanx.

Because of their distinctive barrel-shaped radome and their automated operation, Phalanx CIWS units are sometimes nicknamed "R2-D2" after the droid from the Star Wars films.

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