I shall be continuing on my defense technology posts from term 1. This blog post shall be about the Phalanx CIWS(Close-In Weapons Systems).



The Phalanx CIWS consists of a radar guided Gatling gun mounted on a swiveling base. The picture above shows how a Phalanx looks like.




It is originally designed as an anti anti-ship missile defense system - that is, to shoot down anti-ship missles - by the General Dynamics Corporation, Pomona Division, now Raytheon.

The Phalanx gun has gone through many evolutions and the newest version can fire up to 4500 rounds per minute, although the ammunition drum can only hold up to 1550 rounds.
It has a FLIR (Forward Looking Infrared Radar) which enables Phalanx to engage low, slow or hovering aircraft and surface craft. Additionally, the FLIR assists the radar in engaging some anti-ship cruise missles, bringing a greater chance of ship survivability.
The latest upgrade also uses a thermal imager and stablilization system that provide surface mode and electro-optic angle track. These allows day/night detection capability.