Thursday, February 1, 2024

U.S. Navy Destroyer Forced To Use "Last Ditch" Defensive System Against A Houthi Missile

From Navy Times, February 1:

A Houthi missile got within a nautical mile of USS Gravely on Tuesday 

A Houthi anti-ship missile got within a nautical mile of the Navy destroyer Gravely on Tuesday, and the warship used its Phalanx Close-In Weapons System to take the missile out, a senior defense official has confirmed to Navy Times.

The official, granted anonymity to discuss operations, declined to comment on why the system, known as CIWS, was used to take out the target, when destroyers, like Gravely, have several weapons systems and missiles for taking out such targets from farther ranges.

But the official pushed back on any suggestion that Monday’s close call entailed any kind of advancement in the sophistication of attacks by the Iran-backed Houthi rebels, who have shot dozens of attack drones and missiles at commercial vessels and Navy ships in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden since the start of the Israel-Hamas war in October....

....Given the speed of any given missile, it would not take long for such a munition to travel a nautical mile....

....MUCH MORE

Guessing that these are sub-sonic missiles, say .7 to .9 times the speed of sound (~650 nautical mph at 20 °C ), that meant the missile was 6 to 8 seconds from the Gravely.

No pressure.