by Kris Osborn, President, Center for Military Modernization
A US Navy destroyer was again able to track and destroy multiple threats in the Red Sea launched from Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen, as part of an effort to respond to distress calls from commercial vessels in the area and respond to identified incoming missile and drone threats.
US Central Command reported that the USS Carney tracked and destroyed multiple inbound threats fired from Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen, a series of operations which appear to have included surveillance, precision targeting and, in few cases, defensive attack countermeasures, CentCom’s essay explains.
Due to its ability to track multiple threats, the USS Carney protected commercial ships in the area from multiple nations by both tracking incoming enemy attacks and responding to “distress calls” from commercial ships in the area.
CentCom says there were a total of four attacks on three commercial vessels in the Red Sea, ships connected to as many as 14 different countries.
While operational specifics are not likely to be available for security reasons, the USS Carney is an Aegis-radar capable destroyer which has previously successfully intercepted missiles launched from Houthi-controlled areas.
It is not clear just how “far away” the drones and missiles were from the USS Carney when they were detected, yet they may have been seen by long-range ship-based Aegis radar, or perhaps the Houthi missiles were large enough to generate a heat signature upon launch which some satellites can detect. As for which US Navy countermeasure was used, they likely varies depending upon the nature and range of the threat. Houthi-fired ballistic missiles, for example, were previously intercepted by the USS Carney with an SM-2 interceptor, a ballistic missile defense weapons launched from Vertical Launch Systems. A drone threat, however, could be intercepted and destroyed with a wide range of ship-integrated defensive possibilities
Yemen is 2,211km from Israel, so it means the US Navy destroyer was able to achieve precision target tracking from closer-in-distances and intercept long-range ballistic missiles and drones. Therefore, as CentCom’s essay clearly stated, the actual intent or specific targets the Houthi’s intended to strike with its drones may not be fully known, yet the Houthi-launched drones did present a “threat” to the USS Carney and may have been attacking the US Navy warship.
“While in international waters, CARNEY engaged and shot down a UAV launched from Houthi controlled areas in Yemen. The drone was headed toward CARNEY although its specific target is not clear,” CentCom writes.
The Houthi rockets may have initially been seen by infrared-satellite sensors able to detect a heat signature emerging from the launch or identified by an aerial gateway such as a US Air Force drone or surveillance plane in position to establish a target “track” on the missiles as they transited over the Red Sea toward the commercial vessels and USS Carney. These initial cues or detection mechanisms likely connected with Aegis Combat Systems arming US Navy destroyers equipped with radar, software, command and control and fire control systems sufficient to receive target-track specifics and potentially launch an interceptor such as the SM-2 from as close in as 90-miles. In a similar situation in October, the USS Carney did in fact use an SM-2 to destroy Houthi missiles, and depending upon the range at which these most recent Houthi attacks were discovered, an SM-2 may have been used again.
Did the Navy Use its Phalanx Close-In-Weapons-System?
Navy photos published in October showing the USS Carney’s intercept of Houthi missiles and drones show use of the services well known…. Phalanx Close in Weapons System, is an area weapon engineered to use a high rate of fire and ammunition to blanket a given area, destroying or knocking enemy fire out of the sky before it can reach a ship. The Phalanx CIWS, which can fire up to 4,500 rounds per minute, has been protecting ship platforms for decades.
While the Navy photo shows the Phalanx firing, it may or may not have been the weapon which successfully intercepted the Houthi drones or missiles in October, yet its clear that the weapon was fired during the incident, as mentioned by the US Navy’s photo caption. Was the CWIS used again in this most recent instance? Perhaps, yet it would depend upon how far away the enemy drones were. It is not likely a CWIS would intercept a missile as it is largely for the closest in threats, yet the Phalanx area weapon is extremely effective against drones and could well have been used in that capacity.
The CWIS weapon is designed to counter incoming enemy attacks from missiles, small arms fire, drones, enemy aircraft and small boats, among other things. It functions as part of an integrated, layered defense system in order to intercept closest-in threats, service officials explained.
The weapon is currently on Navy cruisers, destroyers, aircraft carriers and amphibious assault ships, among other vessels. The upgrades are designed to substantially increase capability and ensure that the system remains viable in the face of a fast-changing and increasingly complex threat environment, Navy officials said.
The Phalanx Block IB configuration incorporates a stabilized Forward-Looking Infra-Red sensor, an automatic acquisition video tracker, optimized gun barrels (OBG) and the Enhanced Lethality Cartridges (ELC), service officials added.
Navy officials said Block IB provides ships the additional capability for defense against asymmetric threats such as small, high speed, maneuvering surface craft, slow-flying fixed and rotary-winged aircraft, and unmanned aerial vehicles.
The FLIR also improves performance against anti-ship cruise missiles by providing more accurate angle tracking information to the fire control computer, officials added.
The OGB/ELC combine to provide tighter dispersion and increased first hit range, a Navy official added. The Phalanx 1B fires Mk 244 ammunition, using the Enhanced Lethality Cartridge specifically designed to penetrate anti-ship cruise missiles.
The Mk 244 ammunition is engineered with a 48 percent heavier tungsten penetrator and an aluminum nose piece, according to information from General Dynamics Ordnance and Tactical Systems.
The Phalanx Block IB Baseline 2 radar upgrade is a new digital radar that provides improved detection performance, increased reliability and reduction in sailor man-hours for system maintenance, service officials explained.
The CWIS overhaul in recent years has consisted of numerous upgrades to the weapon itself, converting the existing systems into the Phalanx 1B configuration. At the same time, the CIWS overhaul also includes the development and ongoing integration of a new, next-generation radar for the system called the CIWS Phalanx Block IB Baseline 2, Navy officials explained.
The Block 1B configuration provides defense against asymmetric threats such as small, fast surface craft, slow-flying fixed and rotary-winged aircraft, and unmanned aerial vehicles through the addition of an integrated Forward-Looking Infra-Red (FLIR) sensor.
Kris Osborn is the President of Warrior Maven – Center for Military Modernization and Osborn previously served at the Pentagon as a Highly Qualified Expert with the Office of the Assistant Secretary of the Army—Acquisition, Logistics & Technology. Osborn has also worked as an anchor and on-air military specialist at national TV networks. He has appeared as a guest military expert on Fox News, MSNBC, The Military Channel, and The History Channel. He also has a Masters Degree in Comparative Literature from Columbia Unive
rsity.
