C-RAM Centurion Phalanx

Counter-Rocket, Artillery and Mortar Land Based air defense weapon system - United States

The C-RAM (Counter Rocket, Artillery, and Mortar) also nicknamed Centurion Weapon System is a Land-Based Phalanx Weapon System with the capability of integration with other protection sensors and systems. The system is designed and manufactured by the American Company Raytheon. Phalanx is a rapid-fire, computer-controlled radar and 20 mm gun system that automatically acquires, tracks, and destroys enemy threats that have penetrated all other ship defense systems. The Phalanx was designed in the beginning as a ship-based anti-missile system. The Centurion™ Weapon System mission represents a revolutionary approach to countering insurgent activities by intercepting rockets, artillery and mortar rounds in the air before impact, thereby reducing or eliminating any damage they might cause. The U.S. Navy uses the same capability of the Phalanx 1B sea-based system as its point-defense weapon to protect the fleet from low-flying cruise missiles and other air and surface threats.. The Phalanx was first tested for possible Centurion™ Weapon System missions in November 2004 and successfully proved its ability to provide unparalleled land-based protection. Phalanx can be interfaced with a multitude of sensors and systems designed to provide an overarching protection umbrella of sites on the ground. In 2009, the Raytheon Centurion weapon system was displayed at the defense Exhibition DSEI in London, United Kingdom.
The first C-RAM was sent to Iraq in late 2006, to protect the Green Zone (the large area in Baghdad turned into an American base). It was found that C-RAM could knock down 70-80 percent of the rockets and mortar shells fired within range of its cannon. In the last two years, Centurion systems in Iraq have intercepted over a hundred rockets or mortar shells aimed at the Green Zone. in January 2021, the C-RAM system was used to shoot down drones targeting a compound at Baghdad airport.

C-RAM Centurion Phalanx variants:

- Mobile C-RAM Centurion: The Phalanx weapon system is mounted at the rear of an Oshkosh HEMTT A3 heavy truck.

Armament

The C-RAM Phalanx combines a proven 20 mm M61A1 Gatling gun, firing M-246 or M-940 self-destruct rounds at a selectable rate of 3,000 or 4,500 shots per minute, with an advanced search and track Ku-band radar featuring closed-loop spotting technology to provide autonomous target detection and engagement. Around 300 rounds are used per typical engagement. The Phalanx can be interfaced with a multitude of sensors and systems designed to provide an overarching protection umbrella of sites on the ground. Phalanx uses six optimized gun barrels along with an integrated forward-looking infrared (FLIR) sensor suite. More stringent firing schedules are provided for by securing the six barrels at the muzzle, mid-barrel and breech, for more accuracy and a concentrated shot dispersion pattern. The Block 1B FLIR provides the capability to search, track and engage threats while simultaneously providing a detect, prioritize and kill assessment feature that is effective in both daylight and nighttime environments. Using a Ku-band radar, Phalanx is proven to detect threats early in their flight and then hand over to the track mode only when those targets are determined to threaten the area protected by the system. To augment its tracking and engagement capability, the Phalanx Block 1B incorporates a thermal imager with automatic acquisition tracking. The system operates in the 8-12 micron wavelength and is mounted on a stabilized pedestal attached to the existing Block 1B track antenna radome. This system provides a reliable day and night passive search and track capability while improving the anti-air warfare performance in multi-path environments. Centurion uses target acquisition sensors, including Northrop Grumman’s AN/TPQ-36 short-range Firefinder radar and the Lightweight Counter Mortar Radar, to detect and track fired rounds. The fire-control subsystem Northrop Grumman Mission Systems provides for C-RAM uses software modified from Northrop Grumman’s Forward Area Air Defense Command and Control (FAAD C2) system, which ties together the sensors and weapons of the Army’s short-range air-defense battalions.

Close view of the M61A1 20 mm Gatling gun of C-RAM Centurion

Design and protection

The Phalanx weapon station of the C-RAM Centurion™ Weapon System is mounted on a trailer and is powered by a generator and has a water chiller cooling system and an enclosed control station. The air defense system is operated by a crew of four.

The C-RAM centurion Phalanx weapon station is powered by a generator mounted on the truck trailer.

Mobility

In the land-based configuration, a C-RAM Phalanx Block 1B is mounted on a wheeled platform, which provides both a stable site and mobility to allow for repositioning. The Centurion can be mounted on a trailer or the rear side of the Oshkosh truck. The trailer is towed by an M916A3 6x6 tactical truck. the cab of the M916A3 is able to accommodate the driver and two passengers. The truck is powered by a is powered by Cummins NTC 400 turbocharged diesel engine, developing 400 hp coupled to a Caterpillar semi-automatic gearbox with 16 forward and 2 reverse gears. In October 2008, Raytheon and Oshkosh unveiled the Mobile Centurion, which mounts the system on a hybrid-electric HEMTT A3 heavy truck.

The trailer of the C-RAM Centurion is towed by a an M916A3 6x6 tactical truck

Accessories

Phalanx is proven to identify and engage air threats successfully in both high and low quadrant elevation trajectories. Collateral damage is always a concern whenever urban security forces consider a high-speed gun system as a solution to the rocket, artillery, and mortar threat. In urban terrain or heavily populated areas, outgoing rounds might prove as dangerous — if not more dangerous — than incoming rounds. To minimize collateral damage, Centurion™ Weapon System fires self-destruct rounds. Studies show that residue from self-destructed rounds causes virtually no damage. The deployment of the Phalanx Block 1B and its integration into a holistic approach to defeat rocket, artillery and mortar threats is changing the face of security operations in urban settings and will force insurgents to seriously consider their activities when attacking high-value sites. The Phalanx Turret is a very powerful weapon, on both vehicles and infantry, as the 20mm AA gun will inflict severe damage against enemy troops, light vehicles, and medium vehicles while the Missile Launcher will inflict heavy damage against Aircraft. Countering IDF threats requires a holistic design approach. C-RAM Intercept LPWS works with the C-RAM system-of-systems architecture and with other program of record systems to provide the complete suite of C-RAM capabilities. The major components interoperating with C-RAM Intercept LPWS at the IFPC/Avenger battalions include Air and Missile Defense Planning and Control System shelters; RAM Warn hardware; C-RAM Communications Network; C-RAM Command and Control workstations; and multiple counter-fire target acquisition radars, including AN/TPQ-50 Lightweight Counter Mortar Radars, AN/TPQ-53 radars, Sentinel radars and Ku-band Radio Frequency System radar.