The Phalanx Close-In Weapon System (CIWS), pronounced “C-Wiz,” is a fast-reaction, radar-guided 20 mm Gatling gun designed as a warship’s last line of defense against incoming anti-ship missiles, aircraft, and small surface threats. Originally developed and manufactured by General Dynamics Corporation, Pomona Division, the system is now produced by Raytheon. Its distinctive barrel-shaped radome housing an integrated search-and-track radar gives the mount an unmistakable silhouette — and earned it the affectionate nickname “R2-D2” among Navy sailors.
Phalanx is installed on every class of U.S. Navy surface combat ship and on U.S. Coast Guard Hamilton- and Legend-class cutters. More than 20 allied navies operate the system worldwide. A land-based derivative, C-RAM (Counter Rocket, Artillery, and Mortar), has been deployed to intercept incoming rockets, artillery, and mortar rounds.
The system operates in fully automatic mode: it detects, tracks, evaluates, and engages targets without human intervention once activated, firing bursts of tungsten penetrator rounds at a rate of up to 4,500 rounds per minute. The Block 1B upgrade, fitted to both ships shown here, added a surface mode enabling engagement of high-speed small boat threats in addition to aerial targets.
The videos below include live-fire CIWS tests aboard USS Kitty Hawk (CV-63), a Kitty Hawk-class supercarrier that served the U.S. Navy from 1961 to 2009, and USS Normandy (CG-60), a Ticonderoga-class guided-missile cruiser commissioned in 1989 and named for the World War II D-Day landings. A third clip provides a general overview of the Phalanx system.
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