Iran’s Navy is going to have an indigenized version of Phalanx, a close-in weapon system on the military vessels used for defense against anti-ship missiles, a top commander said.
Speaking to Tasnim News Agency on Saturday, Deputy Navy Commander Rear Admiral Gholamreza Bigham said the Defense Ministry has achieved good results in upgrading the Phalanx firing system.
“The Navy will receive the weapon system once the final tests are conducted,” he said. Back in March 2015, Navy Commander Rear Admiral Habibollah Sayyari had announced plans for manufacturing the homegrown version of Phalanx. Consisting of a radar-guided Gatling gun mounted on a swiveling base, Phalanx has been used by multiple navies around the world, notably by the US Navy on every class of surface combat ship.Iranian experts have already produced a powerful Gatling gun, dubbed “Moharram”.
The six-barrel weapon is a 50-caliber firearm capable of shooting 2,000-2,500 rounds per minute.
The fast machine gun can also be mounted on a broad range of military vehicles, choppers, unmanned aerial vehicles, warships and destroyers.
