Military Weapons The World Didn’t Think Were Possible
Phalanx CIWS
This is a Phalanx CIWS aboard the USS Ronald Reagan on patrol in the Philippine Sea in 2016. Pronounced “sea-whiz,” CIWS stands for “close-in weapon system” and serves at the U.S. Navy’s first line of defense against anti-ship missiles.
This Phalanx CIWS is equipped with a 20-mm Gatling-style gun on a swiveling base, although other close-in weapon systems use other artillery such as a 22-mm Vulcan Cannon. Designed and manufactured by General Dynamics, the U.S. Navy isn’t the only military to utilize the Phalanx CIWS. The U.S. Coast Guard and the British Royal Navy uses them as well.
