Santiago Navarro/U.S. Navy
The USS Antietam fires a Phalanx Close-In Weapon System (CIWS) during a live-fire exercise in the Philippine Sea on June 6, 2022.
CNN
—
In the Red Sea this week, a US warship successfully stopped an incoming Houthi missile using an advanced weapon system known as the Navy’s “last line of defense.” This marks the first use in this conflict of the Phalanx Close-In Weapon System (CWIS).
The Navy destroyer USS Gravely deployed the automated Phalanx system on Tuesday night against a cruise missile that came as close as 1 mile to the ship, just seconds from impact.
The Phalanx system possesses Gatling guns capable of firing up to 4,500 20-millimeter rounds per minute, engaging targets at extremely close range.
According to Raytheon, the manufacturer, the Phalanx weapon system is a rapid-fire, computer-controlled, radar-guided gun that can defeat anti-ship missiles and other close-in threats on land and at sea.
While US warships have previously defeated numerous Houthi missile attacks using longer-range defenses such as the Standard SM-2, Standard SM-6, and Evolved Sea Sparrow missiles, on Tuesday night, they did not engage for reasons that have not been disclosed.
Tom Karako, director of the Missile Defense Project at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, expressed concern over the close proximity of the Houthi missile to a US warship.
Analyzing the situation, Carl Schuster, a former US Navy captain, estimated that the Houthi missile was approximately 4 seconds away from hitting the US warship when it was destroyed by the Gravely’s Phalanx system, likely with a 2- to 3-second burst of machine gun fire.
Schuster also pointed out the potential danger posed by debris from the destroyed missile, as well as the limitations of the Phalanx system in engaging certain types of missiles.
Despite its limitations, the Phalanx remains a crucial armament for the US Navy and is installed on all US Navy surface ships, as well as being used by at least 24 US allies, according to Raytheon.
The ongoing hostilities in the Red Sea, demonstrating the Houthi’s unrelenting attacks on commercial shipping and warships, have raised questions about the future use of the Phalanx system.
Following the attack on the Gravely, the US Central Command reported further incidents involving US destroyers and drones targeted by the Houthis, as well as ballistic missiles missing their targets in the Red Sea.
These attacks are part of a series of actions by Iranian proxy groups in various countries since the outbreak of war in Gaza last October. The most deadly attack on the US military occurred when a drone strike on a US outpost in Jordan resulted in the deaths of three American soldiers.
President Joe Biden indicated that a decision had been made regarding the US response to the strike but did not provide further details.
02:16 – Source: CNN
‘They’re supplying the weapons’: Biden holds Iran responsible for drone strike
Possible options for the Biden administration in response to these events include strikes on Iranian assets in the region, although striking inside Iran itself is highly unlikely, according to officials.
There are indications that Iran may be concerned about the actions of its proxies, but some current and former US officials doubt that Iran will change its tactics significantly.
