The Phalanx Close-in Weapons Systems (CIWS) mounted on Type 45 Destroyer HMS Dauntless have recently undergone rigorous testing.
In an impressive display of precision and capability, the weapons system efficiently tracked aircraft simulating attacks on the vessel before being test-fired against both surface and air targets.
This demonstrates the advanced capabilities of the Phalanx CIWS in detecting and neutralising potential airborne and surface-based threats.
Our Phalanx Close-in Weapons Systems were put to the test last week! The weapons successfully tracked aircraft simulating attacks on the ship before being test fired against surface and air targets. 💥#NilDesperandum pic.twitter.com/ZqLo5mPItA
— HMS Dauntless (@HMSDauntless) February 20, 2023
HMS Dauntless is one of the Royal Navy’s six Type 45 Destroyers and is a state-of-the-art air defence vessel designed to protect carrier strike groups and other critical assets.
The Type 45 Destroyer is equipped with an array of advanced sensors and weapons systems, including the Sampson multi-function radar, Aster missiles, and the Phalanx CIWS, which work together to provide unparalleled protection against air and missile attacks.
The successful testing of the Phalanx CIWS aboard the HMS Dauntless highlights the Royal Navy’s commitment to maintaining a high level of readiness and effectiveness in defending the United Kingdom’s interests and its allies.
The Type 45 Destroyers represent a crucial component of the Royal Navy’s formidable naval force, which is capable of operating in the most demanding and hostile environments around the world.
Believe HMS Dauntless has completed refit, including propulsion upgrade and sensor updates, and is working up to prepare to rejoin fleet. Imagine there will be relief w/in Admiralty when first updated destroyer returns to fleet ops. 🤔👍
Yes, HMS Dauntless was the first one for the PIP, followed by HMS Daring. I guess the real test will be in summer time, probably Mediterranean waters.
Do we have any indication about when HMS Daring is going in and also what and when the next few type 45s are going in?
HMS Daring has had her PIP work completed at CL’s in Birkenhead,she is now in Portsmouth for her post-PIP refit to complete the process.HMS Dragon is having all her PIP work done in Portsmouth to help speed things up.The next one to go is TBC i think.
And then comes the NSM, Aster and CAMM upgrades which will be time out again. Hope that all runs smoothly too.
Predict that CAMM and NSM insertion should be relatively straightforward, due to previous integration on other platforms. Aster 30, Block ? could prove to be a more sporting proposition. 🤔🤞
CAMM is already integrated in BAE CMS and in RN service. So I think that will be very smooth and run to budget.
NSM has I would guess been tested on The Concrete Destroyer. It is possible it was remote test fired on a range. This is much more possible now that coms are data on fibre and not the old bus solutions.
Why is A30 such an issue? T45 already has an earlier flavour of A30 on board?
Re Aster 30, Block XYZ: the presumptive end-state development, integration and testing of a fulsome ABM capability w/out limitations, may prove to be an interesting technical and programmatic challenge.
I don’t think we were talking about ABM capabilities?
The radar has already been tested for ABM successfully.
I’m not sure A30-NT is a real thing, yet, as press releases have dried up with Mad Vlad’s antics….
SB put this in Google for more informations.
The naval B1NT should be for the upcoming Italians “cruisers”.
I can read the French thanks.
This but this bit translates as:-
“as well as the latest Aster 30 B1NT version being developed in Franco-Italian cooperation”
Being developed, to most of us, means it isn’t a production article yet?
And as B1NT is the ABM flavour, I stand by my comment.
I said to Google search to get more context information not necessarily translation.
Anyway the French text implies that in those 700 missiles B1NT were ordered too but development is not yet finished.
Iterative, intermediate block capabilities may/should reduce overall risk. 🤞
The Falcons are a great training asset to have and not just for this sort of serial. The internal cabin is full of electronic gizmos that let them do so much more during ASM drills.
Yes I know its sad but I am parroting the Visual and Blind safety rules and drill calls in my head for a towed target shoot.
Some things you just don’t forget.
Very glad that these ships have Phalanx, still a worthwhile asset true though increasingly different to their original purpose perhaps, but I do get a little uneasy about some of the hype about its capabilities being casually mentioned, especially having read yesterday elsewhere about the system’s near obsolescence now. Yes it’s still useful and worth having, but when it’s described in such glowing terms it just leads one to doubt all the hype about other assets when described as ‘State of the Art’ and ‘unparalleled’ which we know less about and therefore rely on others competence to describe. Nice to know it can track an aircraft overflying your destroyer but in reality it’s like knowing an F-35 can do basic dog fighting. In either case if it happens you are likely already beaten.
I think the overflight will be more to do with intercepting dumb or LGB’s?
Used as an adjunct to Sea Ceptor and/or 40mm 3P it is still a really useful inner line of defence. Multiple independent layers are a great defensive asset.
I’d like to see if a Starstreak RAM like launcher can be paired with this.The old SeaStreak revisited and revised? Might be a useful extra layer of defence for the carriers and RFAs.
So we cranked off a few rounds of 4.5 in the other day after doing nothing for 7 years. And now R2D2 busted off if you were wrong but just for pretend. Good Lord Almighty who writes these press releases? Obviously no one with any sense of pride….
There’s that “we” again…..come on my little saddo you have already claimed to be from the US. Do make more of an effort in your weak childlike trolling. Good boy.
Well I used to think we were on the same team evidently not. Have a lovely evening and go f*** yourself. Booty squatty whatever the hell you think you are. The technology from the ’80s is great. You stick with that. There is a very good reason 350 million people don’t give a rat’s ass about the UK anymore. Old f****** white people like you that are bigoted are the problem and we’re not really interested anymore. You have nothing to bring to the table.
Oh dear, aggressive, racist and the real anti-UK comes out in full bile. Thanks, well done, yet again confirmed to all and sundry your own bigoted and rather dumb views. Gotcha!
A bit of pro EU bitterness in there too I suspect.
Agreed…..knew he would pop eventually when gripped about his constant anti-UK chuff.
Racist!
Sad!
Lonely!
If we can see a little bit of humour in this…at least both these systems still work! I must admit I will get more of a smile on my face if they go for more than 24 CAMM. There’s seriously enough space there for more CAMM and even Mk41s. All been said before by many here so won’t repeat. These ships are only halfway through their lives so it’s good that they’re finally getting sorted out now.
The CAMM fit will take up upper half of the space the Mk41 was to have forward. Will never be fitted to these. They do need some rear weapon cover as only a couple GPMG’s cover aft.
Large units with a first class weapon system but had poor power systems (hopefully now fixed). They as a class done very low sea time so should have a long life now and ease the strain on the T23’s.
Although not a lover of them as much of the high tech they introduced simply did not work.
By all accounts both Starstreak and Martlet are doing very well in Ukraine. Starstreak has shot down at least 10 Ka50/52s. Russia simply do not have a countermeasure answer for this laser guided missile.
However, for a close in weapon system (CIWS) for a ship it has its disadvantages. Primarily it is a one one shot track to kill weapon system. Meaning an operator or the automated tracking system has to track the target continuously for it to hit. So engaging multiple targets simultaneously is difficult. Secondly the three darts that the main body releases weigh just under 1kg each. So their mass and explosive content may be too small to defeat an anti-ship missile (AShM). Thirdly each dart when separated from the main body flies in a parallel formation that is some metres apart. Depending on the size of the AShM only one dart may hit it. Plus the darts only have an impact fuze and not a proximity fuze.
There is a logical answer, which is for Thales who make Starstreak to look at a third evolution. This would include a multiple engagement capability along with using a singular missile rather than three darts. Which means it can contain a much larger and effective warhead plus has space for a proximity fuze. It would still use laser guidance, but have each missile addressable so it can be data-linked. But instead of a derivative of the semi-active command line of sight (SACLOS) guidance. It would be built around a LIDAR, as this can do both the search and tracking function. Simples!
The aircraft flight profile in this case simulates a sub sonic ASM.
Phalanx will pick it up on its integral search radar and light it up with its tracking radar when in Auto. In auto you have to decide to stop the mount shooting , not initiate an engagement. Human reactions are to slow and in auto you let it do its thing.
If not in auto the phalanx operator allocates the radar track to the gun from the phalanx console.
When in range (For rea) it would fire and keep firing until the mount assesses the target as destroyed and then shift target. With 2 or more mounts the mounts “Talk” to each other and an electronic threat table is produced. The Table assesses the highest threat and allocates a mount to kill it. The second threat in the table is allocated to the next mount and so on and so on. If a mount goes down the allocation of other mounts is automatic for the targets that are left. The threat assessment is continuous and in real time.
If you want to do a sea skimmer you need a low level target simulator. This is usually done by a towing aircraft with something like a Low Level Height Keeper Rushton Target( LLHK). Doing these serials is a bit more complex than a straigh and level flying Falcon.
Phalanx will not engage if the threat assessment algorithms dont see the target as a threat to the ship ie going for the ship. The towing aircraft has to tow the target to pass ahead of the ship by just enough to get the phalanx to lock it up but not far enough ahead to ignore it.
When Phalanx was fitted on T42, Brum (my ship) was the first to receive it. We did the set to work trials and all was good. The Second ship was Newcastle. She shot the target off the wire and it carried on flying striking the ship in the engine down take area midships.
The upper deck crew jumped into action seeing flame and smoke coming from the intake and assumed it was a fire. It was actually the flares on the target used as a visual aid to see the thing for range safety. They turned on fire hoses and promptly topped up the GT module below the intake.
Such fun!
A nice new to have on the latest Block versions is the TI bolted to the side. This now allows you to see surface targets and use the gun for surface engagements. So boat swarms etc can be shot at at range.
great post GB -thank you.
👌 Spot. You would not want to be on the receiving side of one that is for sure.
Note something new as its routine with weapons systems to ensure they work. Pity about the headline pic though as that is QE firing here aft mount not a T45.
Goalkeeper was very much more impressive but of course could not be swopped around units or lorry mounted as per in Iraq.
Was walking past one of these in Iraq (calked a C-RAM). When the siren went off and it blared off a few hundred rounds taking out two incoming rockets. Very much like fireworks night as the sabots dusted the rockets. Feck me it was loud. After diving in a ditch to watch the show, very glad they were there, as we had daily incoming.