Posted on 03/05/2016 9:39:01 AM PST by sukhoi-30mki
From chasing down and firing on commercial shipping vessels, to conducting live missile firings in close proximity to U.S. aircraft carriers, to actually seizing and holding U.S. naval boats, Iran's military has been behaving pretty badly since its government signed its nuclear arms deal last year.
To date, the U.S. hasn't elected to take any reprisals for these actions -- but Saudi Arabia, for one, isn't prepared to sit idle.
Kit up!
Last year, as you may recall, Saudi Arabia announced the formation of an Islamic military alliance in the Persian Gulf region. Ostensibly, the purpose of that alliance is to combat ISIS. But fighting ISIS doesn't seem to be Saudi Arabia's only goal.
Case in point: Last month, the U.S. Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA) notified Congress that Saudi Arabia has requested permission to upgrade its five Raytheon -built MK 15 Phalanx Close-In Weapons Systems (CIWS) from their current "Block 0" configuration to the more advanced "Block 1B Baseline 2" configuration.
According to Raytheon, the Phalanx CIWS "is designed to defeat anti-ship missiles and other close-in air and surface threats." The Block 0 weapons that Saudi Arabia already possesses are able to detect, track, and evaluate potential threats -- then engage and destroy them if necessary. Block 1B upgrades will add the ability to "visually track and identify targets before engagement," and also provide a night-fighting capability through the addition of forward looking infrared (FLIR) sensors. Raytheon says the improved version enhances the weapon's utility "against helicopters and high-speed surface craft at sea."
(Excerpt) Read more at mysanantonio.com ...
I’m no expert, but I assume there’s a reason why ALL navies have CIWS for last-ditch air defense and other stabilized gun systems (12.7mm to 30-35mm) for taking on speedboats and similar threats.
A CIWS has a high rate of fire, but does it have a stabilization mechanism to shoot up a boat bouncing around in the water? It’s easier to create a wall of lead to stop an incoming missile than to take a few shots at a speed boat unless its sitting still. Experienced navy folks will be able to explain better.
Might be harder for the CWIS guidance to pick up the boat against the ocean surface.
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