Colonel Tim Moore, director of the US Navy’s Destroyer Modernization Program 2.0, on April 8 revealed plans to upgrade the defense network for the Arleigh Burke-class destroyer series, to improve countermeasures capabilities.
One of the proposed options is to remove the Phalanx close-in defense system (CIWS) on warships and replace them with RIM-116 sight-seeing missile launchers.
Loving UAVs, the US wants to install short-range missiles on a series of warships
SeaRAM complex tested on the USS Mobile in 2022. Video: US Navy
`Mark 49 launchers will be installed on Arleigh Burke-class warships equipped with the latest Aegis combat system, and SeaRAM complexes will appear on ships that are not compatible with Mark 49. They will replace the CIWS Phalanx system
Mark 49 is a launcher that can carry 21 RIM-116 missiles, integrated into the combat system and using target data from sensors on warships.
The Mark 49 and SeaRAM launchers possess many advantages over the Phalanx.
SeaRAM complex on the destroyer USS Carney in 2016. Photo: US Navy
The US Navy currently operates 73 Arleigh Burke-class destroyers, divided into three versions with different combat configurations.
The proposal was made nearly two months after a missile from Houthi forces passed through two layers of outer defenses and approached the destroyer USS Gravely within more than 1.5 km, causing it to activate the system.
This is the first time a US warship in the Red Sea has had to activate the Phalanx, the final shield in a multi-layered defense network, to deal with Houthi attacks.
The Phalanx complex of the destroyer USS Porter opened fire during a training exercise in 2019. Photo: US Navy
Tom Karako, director of the Missile Defense Project at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), said that Houthi missiles approaching US warships are a worrying sign.
In addition to dealing with UAVs and missiles from militia groups, equipping the RIM-116 missile launcher is also Washington’s effort to prepare for large-scale conflict scenarios with major powers, especially in the region.