(Washington, D.C.) The Navy plans to further upgrade, integrate and “fire-off” its SeaRAM ship defense deck-fired interceptor weapon now arming a wide range of its surface fleet.
The SeaRAM weapons system, designed to fire Rolling Airframe Missiles out of a Close-in-Weapons System, is now installed on many Navy ships to include destroyers, amphibs and of course the Navy’s Littoral Combat Ship.
The SeaRAM provides an advantage to many Navy combatants due in large measure to its self-contained system, meaning it uses its own radar, software and sensors without needing to occupy other technologies or systems on the ship.
This is particularly relevant in a smaller surface combatant such as an LCS, compared with a large destroyer armed with Vertical Launch Systems for larger interceptor missiles and a broader Aegis radar infrastructure.
SeaRAM and CIWS
The SeaRAM system builds upon the infrastructure and radar of the Close-in-Weapons-System (CIWS). CIWS’ Phalanx weapon fires a 20mm cannon at close-in threats such as small boats.
The SeaRAM is part of a layered ship-defense system designed to identify and destroy longer-range approaching enemy threats, such as anti-ship missiles, drones, small boats and helicopters.
The idea is to supplement and build upon the defensive power of the CIWS, an area weapon which fires multiple projectiles from a Phalanx gun system to destroy approaching air and surface threats; SeaRAM increases the envelope of attacking threats a ship can defend against and hits targets at farther ranges than CIWS.
