By Kris Osborn, President, Warrior
(Washington DC) China has unveiled a new “counter-drone” area interceptor weapon intended to blanket threat areas with hundreds of projectiles to ensure close-in defense against swarm or “barrage” attacks.
The Chinese government-backed Global Times Newspaper quotes the chief designer of the weapon that it “shoots a wall of projectiles that cover incoming positions of all targets.” The paper describes this “barrage” weapon as a first of its kind “plane-to-point” weapon unlike most “point-to-point” drone intercept weapons. The weapon consists of 16 tightly connected gun barrels, and is designed to be mobile and expeditionary
“It is characterized by its fast reload speed, high fire density, controllable barrage size, outstanding destructive power and capability to accompany troops in maneuvers,” the Chinese paper said.
Chinese “barrage” weapon vs. US Phalanx
The Chinese paper describes the weapon as somewhat unprecedented, a statement which does not seem to make tactical and operational sense. While the specifics of the new PLA counter-drone-swarm weapon may not be available, its application as an “area-defense” weapon firing a high number of smaller projectiles designed to destroy swarms aligns closely with the US Phalanx weapon. The Phalanx currently arms the US Army’s Counter, Rocket, Artillery and Mortar (CRAM) base protection weapon and the US Navy’s Close-in-Weapons-System ship-defense weapon. Also designed as an area weapon engineered to counter, destroy or intercept close-in-threats such as drones, rockets and other incoming threats, the Phalanx is capable of firing as many as 4,500 rounds per minute in a designated area to “blanket” incoming threats with fire and ensure successful intercept. Roughly 10 years ago, the US Navy upgraded its CIWS-Phalanx weapon to a 1B variant which can not only counter air threats but also destroy fast-approaching surface threats such as swarming small boats.
The new Chinese “barrage” weapon can reportedly counter surface threats as well as fixed-wing aircraft, helicopters and cruise missiles. There are likely distinct differences between the US Phalanx and the new PLA counter drone weapon, yet they are nearly identical in terms of concepts of operation. The Phalanx fires armor piercing sabot rounds at a rate of 75 a second, and while the rate of fire and type of ammunition used in the Chinese weapon are unknown, its intended operational use seems very closely aligned with the US Phalanx.
Yet another similarity between the two weapons pertains to its expeditionary uses, because both the US and Chinese weapon are designed to be mobile and highly deployable. At one point, the US Army deployed a Phalanx gun on the back of a US Army tactical truck to enable on-the-move drone defense. The Chinese paper cites a similar capability for its “barrage” weapon, describing it as able to travel on trucks, armored vehicles and warships.
It is possible that the tightly connected barrels built into the Chinese weapon generate breakthrough levels of high-speed fire and lethality, yet it may be little more than a copycat effort to replicate the US Phalanx. The US Army and US Navy Phalanx has been operational for more than a decade, and it seems unlikely that the PLA would be that far behind the US in the realm of base protection and ship defenses, yet it is possible.
There are a few apparent differences in the configurations of the respective weapons; the US Phalanx uses a 20mm gatling gun with the radar directly attached to or connected to the base of the weapon. The PLA “barrage” weapon, by contrast, places a radar on the back of a vehicle positioned behind the connected gun barrels.
Kris Osborn is the President of Warrior Maven – Center for Military Modernization. Osborn previously served at the Pentagon as a highly qualified expert in 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 University
