Phalanx CIWS

Phalanx CIWS
Phalanx CIWS aboard USS Elrod FFG-55.
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.[1]
Produced	1978[2]
Variants	3
Specifications (early models)
Mass	12,500 lb (5,700 kg)[2]
Barrel length	59.8 in (1,520 mm) L76 gun (Block 0 & 1): [2]
Height	15.5 ft (4.7 m)
Shell	20×102mm tungsten Armor-piercing discarding sabot or High-explosive incendiary tracer
Caliber	20 mm (0.79 in)
Barrels	6-barrel (progressive RH parabolic twist, 9 grooves)
Elevation	Block 0: −10°/+80° Block 1: −20°/+80° Block 1B: −25°/+85°
Traverse	150° from either side of centerline
Rate of fire	4,500 rounds/minute (75 rounds/second)
Muzzle velocity	3,600 ft/s (1,100 m/s)[2]
Effective firing range	1,625 yd (1,486 m) max. effective range[2]
Maximum firing range	6,000 yd (5,500 m)[2]

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,^[3] 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.^[5] 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 Counter Rocket, Artillery, and Mortar (C-RAM) system, was developed.^[6] It was deployed to counter rocket, artillery and mortar attacks during the 2021 US withdrawal from Afghanistan.^[7][8] The U.S. Navy also fields the SeaRAM system, which pairs the RIM-116 Rolling Airframe Missile with sensors based on the Phalanx.