Phalanx CIWS Km1992//0.33149874000/0482492-2

Also known as Phalanx Close-In Weapon System Solar Scope

close-in weapon system for defense against anti-ship missiles

Key facts

Type: Close-in weapon system
Place of origin: United States
In service: 1980–present
Used by: See operators
Wars: Cold War Persian Gulf War Yemeni Civil War Red Sea crisis
Designer: General Dynamics
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.
Mass: 12,500 lb (5,700 kg)
Barrel length: 59.8 in (1,520 mm) L76 gun (Block 0 & 1):
Height: 15.5 ft (4.7 m)
Shell

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Article

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 Counter Rocket, Artillery, and Mortar (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.