# The C-RAM in action



## evangilder (Nov 30, 2007)

Oh YEAH!

Videos and Photos of Army Special Ops, Navy SEALs, Air Force, Marines, Coast Guard in Action - Shock and Awe - Military.com


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## Aggie08 (Nov 30, 2007)

So that's how you would neutralize Tom Brady's passing game...

No seriously though, that was awesome. I love the tracers at night.


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## Matt308 (Nov 30, 2007)

During fleet ops, how the hell do they prevent blue on blue with that mindless animal? I would think that 25mm uranium depleted rounds go a long way and, while likely not to sink ships, would certainly be a hazard!!


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## comiso90 (Nov 30, 2007)

Thats a lot of led to spray in the air to knock out a mortar shell!

Great for guarding a Battlefield command post in the middle of the desert.


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## Aggie08 (Nov 30, 2007)

I was thinking the same thing, matt. The bullets falling could cause all kinds of problems.


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## SoD Stitch (Nov 30, 2007)

Looks like a Phalanx CIWS for land; if it is a modified Phalanx, those should be 20mm rounds. And the tracers are for show; the radar on the Phalanx can track the rounds with or without the tracers and compensate it's aim. The system constantly tracks both the projectiles and the target, and adjusts it's aim until projectiles and target merge.


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## Matt308 (Nov 30, 2007)

I think there is a more modern version of the Phalanx that is 25mm. I am often proven wrong and I have not Googled before this post.


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## Matt308 (Nov 30, 2007)

And now for Google...

The U.S. Army's version of the Navy's CIWS Phalanx anti-missile system is called the "Land-Based Phalanx Weapon System" (LPWS). It is a type of "C-RAM" (counter-rockets, artillery and mortars) defensive weapon.

Whereas naval Phalanx systems fire depleted uranium or (more recently) tungsten armor-piercing rounds, the LPWS uses the HEIT-SD (High-Explosive Incendiary Tracer, Self-Destruct) ammunition originally developed for the M163 Vulcan air-defense system. These rounds explode on impact with the target, or upon tracer burnout.


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## Matt308 (Nov 30, 2007)

And this is interesting...

The Phalanx system has never been credited with shooting down any enemy missiles or aircraft.

February 25, 1991, during the first Gulf War, the USS Missouri and the Phalanx-equipped USS Jarrett were in the vicinity of an Iraqi Silkworm missile (often referred to as the 'Seersucker') that had been fired, either at Missouri or at the nearby British destroyer HMS Gloucester. After Missouri fired its SRBOC chaff, the Phalanx system on Jarrett, operating in the automatic target-acquisition mode, fixed upon Missouri's chaff and fired a burst of rounds (not destroying the incoming missile). From this burst, four rounds hit Missouri which was two to three miles (5 km) from Jarrett at the time. There were no injuries.[2] The Silkworm missile was then intercepted and destroyed by a Sea Dart missile launched from Gloucester. Incidentally, this is the first validated, successful engagement of a missile by a missile, during combat at sea.

June 4, 1996, a Japanese Phalanx accidentally shot down a US A-6 Intruder. The US plane was towing a radar target during gunnery exercises. A Phalanx aboard the Asagiri class destroyer Yūgiri locked onto the Intruder instead of the target. Both pilots ejected safely.[3] A post accident investigation concluded that the Yūgiri's gunnery officer gave the order to fire before the A-6 was out of the CIWS engagement envelope.[4]

Phalanx is considered inadequate against some modern threats and is being gradually supplemented and replaced by the Rolling Airframe Missile, which has greater range and higher hit probability. The RAM system uses an automated and self-sufficient radar fire control similar to that of Phalanx.


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## Aggie08 (Nov 30, 2007)

Good post, that is interesting. Also good to know that the rounds detonate when the tracer runs out...


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## SoD Stitch (Nov 30, 2007)

Aggie08 said:


> Good post, that is interesting. Also good to know that the rounds detonate when the tracer runs out...



Yeah, I didn't know that, either; I do know that the Phalanx is only good for targets that are <1 mile out. The high rate of fire is good, but in auto mode, the radar system isn't very good at distinguishing between a threat and a non-threat target (such as a decoy-towing aircraft!), it basically just shoots at anything that moves.

If they ever do upgrade the Phalanx CIWS, they probably would go to the 25mm GAU-12/U Equalizer gun; this is standard armament on the AC-130U Spectre gunship, and is being developed for land-based applications.


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## Matt308 (Dec 1, 2007)

Cool stuff.


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