Phalanx CIWS | |
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![]() 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 |
|
Produced | 1978[2] |
Variants | 3 |
Specifications (early models) | |
Mass |
|
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 |
|
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.
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