AlmightyTallest
Posts: 279
Joined: 2/25/2014 Status: offline
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Came across this in one of my logs using 1.04 RC3 with Build 546 quote:
2/20/2014 6:41:53 PM - : Gun (20mm/100 Mk15 Phalanx Blk 1B Burst [300 rnds]) is attacking YJ-18 [3M54E Klub Copy, Rocket Boosted Penetrator] #301 with a base PH of 80%. Target speed modifier: -82%. Final PH: 1%. Die Roll: 87 - MISS Not sure if a dedicated and updated Anti-missile defense system would be so inadequate versus a 60 foot high sea skimmer. There's evidence that Phalanx's can be cued to face the threat via the much longer range and more capable AEGIS system and self defense subsystems of the ship, not necessarily having to rely solely on their on-board radars, which can be used as a backup in case of a failure of the main AEGIS system. http://gallery.military.ir/albums/userpics/CIWS_article.pdf quote:
The Phalanx can also be interfaced with virtually any ship combat system to provide additional sensor and fire-control capability, and can provide target designation for other shipboard weapons such as Raytheon’s Rolling Airframe Missile (RAM). http://www.navweaps.com/Weapons/WNUS_Phalanx.htm In reference to Phalanx Block 1: quote:
In automatic control, the gun will prioritize the first six threats it sees at about 10,000 yards (9,100 m) and engage at 4,000 yards (3,600 m). The above link shows that Phalanx is expected to start shooting at up to 6 simultaneous cued incoming AShM at a range of nearly 4km!! Which seems to coincide well with the modeling program used in the thesis below, indicating that the missiles can be engaged from 4km and down to 2km without the defending ship being struck by debris. The above does not address the accuracy, ammunition and dispersion improvements of the Block 1B, where engagement ranges are expected to be even higher than what's quoted above. quote:
Block 1 baseline 1 replaced the hydraulic gun drive with a pneumatic (air-driven) gun drive system that increased the rate of fire to 4,500 rounds per minute. Search radar sensitivity was also improved in this upgrade. Block 1 baseline 2 introduced further reliability upgrades along with a muzzle restraint to decrease dispersion. quote:
Phalanx Block 1A incorporated a high-order language computer in order to better process engagement algorithms and provided improved performance against maneuvering targets. Block 1A also provided for basic integration with the Ship Self Defense System and enabled RAM missile engagement through the Phalanx detection and track function. quote:
Block 1B improvements include Optimized Gun Barrels (OGB) and a new integrated forward looking infrared system (FLIR). The OGB are electrically controlled, pneumatically driven and fire a new Enhanced Lethality Cartridge (ELC). The Phalanx FLIR provides increased capability to search, track and engage coastal warfare threats as well as provide better anti-ship missile defense. http://warships1discussionboards.yuku.com/topic/2673/CIWS?page=#.U6WXMPldVAo quote:
The 21 cell RAM can be cued using bearing data from the SLQ-32 system as well as the main radar. quote:
RAM is fire and forget and the missile locks onto a target autonomously, but the 21 cell version still needs the ships radar or ESM system to tell it what direction to point in and when to fire. The 11 round Sea RAM has same the capability for autonomous operation Phalanx has, but it can still use the ships more powerful radars and ESM sensors to let it engage at longer ranges. http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/systems/ship/systems/mk-15.htm quote:
Block 1A incorporated a new High Order Language Computer (HOLC) to provide more processing power over the obsolete general purpose digital computer, improved fire control algorithms to counter maneuvering targets, search multiple weapons coordination to better manage engagements quote:
Block 1B Phalanx Surface Mode (PSUM) upgrade allows engagement of small, high-speed, maneuvering surface craft and low, slow-moving aircraft, and hovering helicopters. This upgrade incorporates a thermal imager, an automatic acquisition video tracker, and a stabilization system for the imager, providing both day and night detection of threats. The thermal imager improves the system's ability to engage anti-ship cruise missiles by providing more accurate angle tracking information to the fire control computer. Additionally, the FLIR assists the radar in engaging some ASCM's bringing a greater chance of ship survivability. The thermal imager Automatic Acquisition Video Tracker (AAVT) and stablilization system provide surface mode and electro-optic (EO) angle track. Operational evaluation of Block 1B, conducted aboard USS Underwood (FFG-36) and the Self-Defense Test Ship, was completed in August 1999. quote:
Baseline 2C improvements provide an integrated multi-weapon operations capability. During integrated operations, the command system controls CIWS sensors, target reports, mode employment, and doctrine. The sensors are utilized to provide 360 degree search and track coverage, while providing track data to, and receiving designations from, the Command system. This CIWS installation includes a conversion kit for each weapon group to facilitate ease and safety of maintenance; the "maintenance enclosure" kit installs the below-deck equipment for a gun mount in a prefabricated enclosure with the mount located above it. www.dtic.mil/dtic/tr/fulltext/u2/a294604.pdf Public info showcasing the improvements to Phalanx that seems to indicate a longer range engagement against more advanced maneuvering supersonic sea skimming missiles. http://www.dtic.mil/dtic/tr/fulltext/u2/a272384.pdf It's hinted again in the above document that the Anti-ship missiles need to be destroyed at 1.5km or more in order to prevent the defending ship from being damaged by debris, and there's models showing the approximate number of parts that might hit the ship at what ranges inside of 1.5km. This might be used to help with modeling damage by missiles that are shot down by Phalanx within certain thresholds. It also seems to indicate that Phalanx engages beyond the 1nm range given in the current CMANO database. Page 1 says the following: quote:
As the last line of defense, PHALANX will automatically engage and destroy ASMs that penetrate a ship's primary defense envelope at a range where ballistic missile fragments will not damage the ship. I quote:
It is designed to destroy targets at a range far enough from the ship to prevent the subsequent missile fragments from continuing on and inflicting significant collateral damage to the ship. It must also mesh well with the other defensive weapon systems to provide sufficient overlap, but not to engage while the longer range systems can still be effective. Page 11 says the following: quote:
The trend of the number of hits in Table 1 is convincing; anti-ship missiles must be destroyed at Phalanx maximum range, in order to prevent significant collateral damage. Therefore, the sources of PHALANX dispersion must be understood and corrected. The table referenced to shows the approximate number of hits that a defending ship might take from fragments of supersonic sea skimming missiles using the older Phalanx blocks. The range table maxes out at 1500 meters, with a chance for 1 to 2 fragments to hit the ship, and then goes exponentially higher as the engagement range comes down to 1200, 900, and 600 meters respectively. This indicates that all Phalanx systems are expected to destroy incoming threats greater than 1.5km given the scenario is modeling a supersonic sea skimmer. http://books.google.com/books?id=l-DzknmTgDUC&pg=PA468&lpg=PA468&dq=Phalanx+Mk15+Block+1B+range&source=bl&ots=2taMD1laKk&sig=lx-0qoHm0b5RpNm3pmTwlnGbwdA&hl=en&sa=X&ei=TAmmU7mlEcGqyASOsoDYAw&ved=0CDkQ6AEwAzgK#v=onepage&q=Phalanx%20Mk15%20Block%201B%20range&f=false quote:
Block 1 was successfully tested in 185 engagements in 1985-94, targets including 155mm shells and Vandal (ex Talos) and BQM-34 drones, some of which popped up during flight. Block 1A replaces the original CDC 469A computer with a new CDC AMP high-order language (HOL: ADA language) computer using R3000 RISC processors (said to be 100 times as fast as the current unit). The new computer accomodates new nonlinear spotting algorithms to deal with maneuvering targets. For example, and FFT is applied to the smoothed (Kalman-filtered) target track to extract regularities for prediction. The effect of greater computer power is to double effective gun range. Aren't Vandal or ex Talos missiles Mach 2.5, with a smaller frontal cross section than most Russian Anti Ship Cruise Missiles? quote:
Block 1 can engage targets at steeper angles. The 2D scanning antenna of Block 0 is replaced by a four-plate back to back phased array antenna. The radar switches through four alternative radar beams (extending up to the zenith), and gains data rate by back-to-back operation. The search volume increases enormously, since Block 0 was largely limited to low altitude targets (it could detect high-angle targets at short range). The new radar detects targets at the maximum search angle of Block 0 out to maximum range. It uses multiple PRFs to resolve range ambiguity. Given the info about an earlier Phalanx Block 3.6km engagement down to 2km, it might also indicate multiple chances for the Phalanx (and more chances for later blocks )to engage the incoming threat without risking damage to the defending ship, with the associated risks indicating engagements down to 600m as shown in the chart. Phalanx is expected to engage supersonic maneuvering sea skimmers, so I think the target speed modifier might have to be adjusted for dedicated CIWS type systems set up for this kind of engagement.
< Message edited by Sunburn -- 6/23/2014 8:13:56 PM >
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