Counter-RAM
Encyclopedia
Counter Rocket, Artillery, and Mortar, abbreviated C-RAM or Counter-RAM, is a system used to detect and/or destroy
incoming artillery
, rockets
and mortar
rounds in the air before they hit their ground targets, or simply provide early warning.
C-RAM is effectively a land version of weapons such as the Phalanx CIWS
radar controlled rapid-fire gun for close in protection of vessels from missiles.
C-RAM is an initiative taken in response to an operational needs statement made by the Multinational Force Iraq (MNF-I). The directive arose in response to the increasing number of casualties caused by attacks using rockets, artillery, and mortars in Iraq
. The land-based Phalanx B was subsequently deployed in Iraq in the summer of 2005. It protects the Green Zone
and Camp Victory
in Baghdad
, Logistics Support Area Anaconda
in Balad, Iraq
, and is also deployed by the British Army
in southern Iraq.
Israel
is considering buying the system to counter rocket attacks and defending point military installations. Each system costs $15 million, and uses a 20 mm M61A1 Gatling gun
firing 3,000 or 4,500 M-246 or M-940
rounds per minute. The shells are fused
to self-destruct in the air.
In development or as yet undeployed
is developing a laser-based variation where low cost focused lasers will provide increased range and time-to-intercept over the gun. A proof of concept was demonstrated on a 60mm mortar round in 2006.
incoming artillery
Artillery
Originally applied to any group of infantry primarily armed with projectile weapons, artillery has over time become limited in meaning to refer only to those engines of war that operate by projection of munitions far beyond the range of effect of personal weapons...
, rockets
Rocket artillery
Rocket artillery is a type of artillery equipped with rocket launchers instead of conventional guns or mortars.Types of rocket artillery pieces include multiple rocket launchers.-History:...
and mortar
Mortar (weapon)
A mortar is an indirect fire weapon that fires explosive projectiles known as bombs at low velocities, short ranges, and high-arcing ballistic trajectories. It is typically muzzle-loading and has a barrel length less than 15 times its caliber....
rounds in the air before they hit their ground targets, or simply provide early warning.
C-RAM is effectively a land version of weapons such as the Phalanx CIWS
Phalanx CIWS
The Phalanx CIWS is an anti-ship missile defense system. It is a close-in weapon system and was designed and manufactured by the General Dynamics Corporation, Pomona Division...
radar controlled rapid-fire gun for close in protection of vessels from missiles.
Description
Iraq
Iraq ; officially the Republic of Iraq is a country in Western Asia spanning most of the northwestern end of the Zagros mountain range, the eastern part of the Syrian Desert and the northern part of the Arabian Desert....
. The land-based Phalanx B was subsequently deployed in Iraq in the summer of 2005. It protects the Green Zone
Green Zone
The Green Zone is the most common name for the International Zone of Baghdad. It is a area of central Baghdad, Iraq, that was the governmental center of the Coalition Provisional Authority and remains the center of the international presence in the city...
and Camp Victory
Camp Victory
Camp Victory is the primary component of the Victory Base Complex which occupies the area surrounding the Baghdad International Airport . The Al-Faw Palace, which served as the headquarters for the Multi-National Corps - Iraq , is located on Camp Victory...
in Baghdad
Baghdad
Baghdad is the capital of Iraq, as well as the coterminous Baghdad Governorate. The population of Baghdad in 2011 is approximately 7,216,040...
, Logistics Support Area Anaconda
Logistics Support Area Anaconda
Joint Base Balad, formerly Balad Air Base and Logistics Support Area Anaconda, or simply LSA Anaconda - formerly known as Al-Bakr Air Base and known in popular media as Camp Anaconda - is one of the largest United States military bases in Iraq...
in Balad, Iraq
Balad, Iraq
Balad is a city north of Baghdad in the Salah ad Din Governorate Iraq. It is located within the borders of the so-called Sunni Triangle; however, Balad is a primarily Shiite town of approximately 100,000...
, and is also deployed by the British Army
British Army
The British Army is the land warfare branch of Her Majesty's Armed Forces in the United Kingdom. It came into being with the unification of the Kingdom of England and Scotland into the Kingdom of Great Britain in 1707. The new British Army incorporated Regiments that had already existed in England...
in southern Iraq.
Israel
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
is considering buying the system to counter rocket attacks and defending point military installations. Each system costs $15 million, and uses a 20 mm M61A1 Gatling gun
Gatling gun
The Gatling gun is one of the best known early rapid-fire weapons and a forerunner of the modern machine gun. It is well known for its use by the Union forces during the American Civil War in the 1860s, which was the first time it was employed in combat...
firing 3,000 or 4,500 M-246 or M-940
M-940 20mm MPT-SD Round
The M-940 is a 20 mm round produced by General Dynamics primarily for an anti-aircraft role. It has a range of over and a multi-purpose warhead with high explosive and incendiary effects. The round includes a red tracer to aid in targeting. The self-destruct feature engages at approx...
rounds per minute. The shells are fused
Fuse (explosives)
In an explosive, pyrotechnic device or military munition, a fuse is the part of the device that initiates function. In common usage, the word fuse is used indiscriminately...
to self-destruct in the air.
Systems
Operational- Centurion: 20mm PhalanxPhalanx CIWSThe Phalanx CIWS is an anti-ship missile defense system. It is a close-in weapon system and was designed and manufactured by the General Dynamics Corporation, Pomona Division...
Close-in weapon systemClose-in weapon systemA close-in weapon system , often pronounced sea-whiz, is a naval shipboard point-defense weapon for detecting and destroying at short range incoming anti-ship missiles and enemy aircraft which have penetrated the outer defenses....
, a land based variant of the US Navy's defense system; - Iron DomeIron DomeIron Dome is a mobile air defense system in development by Rafael Advanced Defense Systems designed to intercept short-range rockets and artillery shells. The system was created as a defensive countermeasure to the rocket threat against Israel's civilian population on its northern and southern...
: an IsraelIsraelThe State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
i missile system featuring multiple target tracking and self-guided missile interceptors.
In development or as yet undeployed
- MANTISNächstbereichschutzsystem MANTISNächstbereichschutzsystem MANTIS , formerly titled as NBS-C-RAM , is the latest very short-range protection system of the German Army intended for base-protection, particularly in Afghanistan, produced by Rheinmetall Air Defence Nächstbereichschutzsystem MANTIS (Modular, Automatic and Network...
: 35mm fully automated C-RAM system, produced by RheinmetallRheinmetallRheinmetall AG is a German automotive and defence company with factories in Düsseldorf, Kassel and Unterlüß. The company has a long tradition of making guns and artillery pieces...
based on Oerlikon's SkyshieldSkyshieldSkyshield is the name for two different products: one is the Skyshield advanced Airborne Support Jammer system developed by Rafael LTD. in Israel. The other is the Skyshield Short Range Air Defence system developed by the Swiss corporation Oerlikon Contraves...
and ordered by the German ArmyGerman ArmyThe German Army is the land component of the armed forces of the Federal Republic of Germany. Following the disbanding of the Wehrmacht after World War II, it was re-established in 1955 as the Bundesheer, part of the newly formed West German Bundeswehr along with the Navy and the Air Force...
for use from 2011 - an Active protection systemActive protection systemAn active protection system is a system designed to prevent sensor-based weapons from acquiring and/or destroying a target....
, developed by the Defense Advanced Research Projects AgencyDefense Advanced Research Projects AgencyThe Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency is an agency of the United States Department of Defense responsible for the development of new technology for use by the military...
for anti-tank missile defense.
Development
RaytheonRaytheon
Raytheon Company is a major American defense contractor and industrial corporation with core manufacturing concentrations in weapons and military and commercial electronics. It was previously involved in corporate and special-mission aircraft until early 2007...
is developing a laser-based variation where low cost focused lasers will provide increased range and time-to-intercept over the gun. A proof of concept was demonstrated on a 60mm mortar round in 2006.
Operators
- US Army
- United States Army Air Defense Artillery (ADA)
- C/5-5 ADA (Intercept Battery) out of Fort LewisFort LewisJoint Base Lewis-McChord is a United States military facility located south-southwest of Tacoma, Washington. The facility is under the jurisdiction of the United States Army Joint Base Garrison, Joint Base Lewis-McChord....
. - 4-5 ADA (Sense and Warn Detachment) out of Fort Hood, TexasFort Hood, TexasFort Hood is a United States military post located outside of Killeen, Texas. The post is named after Confederate General John Bell Hood. It islocated halfway between Austin and Waco, about from each, within the U.S. state of Texas....
. - 3-3 ADA out of Fort BlissFort BlissFort Bliss is a United States Army post in the U.S. states of New Mexico and Texas. With an area of about , it is the Army's second-largest installation behind the adjacent White Sands Missile Range. It is FORSCOM's largest installation, and has the Army's largest Maneuver Area behind the...
Texas. - C/3-4 ADA (Intercept Battery) out of Fort Bragg, North CarolinaFort Bragg, North CarolinaFort Bragg is a major United States Army installation, in Cumberland and Hoke counties, North Carolina, U.S., mostly in Fayetteville but also partly in the town of Spring Lake. It was also a census-designated place in the 2010 census and had a population of 39,457. The fort is named for Confederate...
. - 473rd (Sense and Warn Detachment) out of Columbia, TennesseeColumbia, TennesseeColumbia is a city in Maury County, Tennessee, United States. The 2008 population was 34,402 according to U.S. Census Bureau estimates. It is the county seat of Maury County....
. - 2-44 ADA (Joint Intercept Battalion) out of Fort Campbell, KY
- A/5-5 ADA (Intercept Battery) out of Fort Lewis.
- HHB/5-5 ADA (JIB)out of Fort Lewis
- E/1-44 ADA out of Fort Bliss Texas
- Task Force 1-174th (C-RAM), Cincinnati, Ohio
- C/5-5 ADA (Intercept Battery) out of Fort Lewis
- United States Army Air Defense Artillery (ADA)
- British Army
- 16 Regiment Royal Artillery16th Regiment Royal Artillery16th Regiment Royal Artillery is a regiment of the Royal Artillery in the British Army. It currently serves in the air defence role, and is equipped with the Rapier missile....
- 16 Regiment Royal Artillery
External links
- Fort Bliss Monitor 3-3 ADA deploys, New unit ready for wartime mission, battalion leadership says
- GlobalSecurity.org's article on Counter Rocket, Artillery, and Mortar (C-RAM)
- C-RAM Project, Fort MonmouthFort MonmouthFort Monmouth was an installation of the Department of the Army in Monmouth County, New Jersey. The post is surrounded by the communities of Eatontown, Tinton Falls and Oceanport, New Jersey, and is located about 5 miles from the Atlantic Ocean. The post covers nearly of land, from the Shrewsbury...
, C4ISTARC4ISTARIn military usage, a number of abbreviations in the format C followed by additional letters are used, based on expanded versions of the abbreviation C2 - command and control.C2I stands for command, control, and intelligence.... - http://www.deagel.com/news/Rheinmetall-to-Develop-NBS-C-RAM-Weapon-System_n000001774.aspx Rheinmetall to Develop NBS C-RAM Weapon System