FineMolds WA34 Close In Weapon System for Modern Ships

The Phalanx CIWS is a naval artillery direct defense system designed to counter targets at very short ranges, of American production. The first prototypes of this weapon were created in the 1970s, and the weapon officially entered service with the US Navy in 1980. The total weight of the first versions of the set was 5.7 tonnes, but it increased over time to 6.2 tonnes. The height of the weapon is approximately 4.7 meters. The initial velocity of the projectile fired from this weapon is up to 1100 m / s, and the maximum range of the shot is 3.5 kilometers. Interestingly, information about the range of effective fire is still kept secret - especially in the latest versions of the weapon. The Phalanx CIWS kit was developed after the disastrous experiences of the Israeli Navy during the Six Day War, especially the sinking of destroyer Eliat by P-15 missiles. The US Navy command realized then that this type of water-to-water guided missiles posed a considerable danger to its surface units and decided to develop work on a very short-range defense system (CIWS). The fire element was the M61 Vulcan gun in the Gatling system, which guaranteed a very high level of theoretical and practical rate of fire. The system also focused on maximum autonomy, which led to the installation of a fire control system, radar and other necessary sensors above the cannon. All this made the Phalanx CIWS one of the best kits in its class in the world, and is still (thanks to subsequent modernizations) one of the best sets in its class. This system is also used by many other fleets of the world, including the Japanese Navy, which uses it, among others, on ships of the Hyuga, Osumi, Maya, Atago and Kongo classes.