Guardian of the Fleet: How the Phalanx CIWS Keeps Ships Safe

The development of the Phalanx CIWS began in the early 1970s, with General Dynamics being awarded the contract for its production. The first prototype system was offered to the U.S. Navy for evaluation on the destroyer leader USS King in 1973 and it was determined that further work was required to improve performance and reliability. The first ship fully fitted out was the aircraft carrier USS Coral Sea in 1980.
Since its introduction, the Phalanx CIWS has been continually updated and refined to address evolving threats and incorporate new technologies.
The last upgrade Block 1B guns employ an electro-optical sighting system and offer anti-air and anti-surface capabilities not present in Blocks 0 through 1A. Block 1B systems can be linked with the RIM-116 Rolling Airframe Missile (RAM) or SeaRAM systems.
At the core of the Phalanx CIWS lies the M61 Vulcan, a six-barreled, 20mm rotary cannon capable of firing at a rate of 3,000 to 4,500 rounds per minute. The ammunition handling system has two conveyor belt systems. The first takes the rounds out of the magazine drum to the gun; the second takes empty shells or unfired rounds to the opposite end of the drum.
The CIWS employs a duo of radar antennas that collaborate to target potential threats. The search antenna, housed within the radome atop the weapon control group's white-painted section, supplies the CIWS computer with data on the bearing, range, velocity, heading, and altitude of detected objects.
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