With the installation of the floating dock in Gaza, the USA has ensured that the temporary infrastructure has the necessary protection. Various images and footage posted on social media revealed that US forces have also deployed Centurion C-RAM point defense systems and M-LIDS anti-drone measures.
Despite the dock head being secured by the Israel Defense Forces, US troops have also set up a defensive umbrella against drones and mortar and/or rocket attacks. A noteworthy detail is that the American personnel have only advanced a few meters into the beachhead, so the previously mentioned systems are operating from various positions on the floating dock.
As seen in the images, the deployed defensive systems have been proved to complement each other and to provide protection against various threats. The C-RAM (Counter Rocket, Artillery, Mortar system), also known as Centurion, is a development by the US Army based on the Navy’s Phalanx point-defense system.
Mounted in a mobile container, the C-RAM detects, alerts, and intercepts rocket, artillery, and mortar projectiles used against forward operating bases and high-value targets. Its capabilities were tested in Iraq and Afghanistan.
“…Using multiple layers of detection, the system can identify incoming enemy munitions in the space protected by the C-RAM, with a human operator certifying the target…Then, the system emits a loud alarm and the voice of ‘incoming, incoming, incoming’ to give soldiers the necessary seconds to take cover…the C-RAM fires hundreds of 20 mm rounds from its six-barrel cannon at the incoming munition, detonating it in the air. Additionally, the rounds explode at a certain altitude to reduce the number of ground injuries…”, detailed the US Army in one of its reports on the system’s performance.
On the other hand, the M-LIDS (Mobile Low, Slow, Small Unmanned Aircraft System Integrated Defeat System) detects, identifies, tracks, and destroys small drones using electronic warfare systems and active measures.
Mounted on a 4×4 Oshkosh M-ATV armored vehicle, the M-LIDS includes a combination of weapons such as a 30 mm XM914 cannon housed in a Moog Inc. Reconfigurable Integrated-weapons Platform (RIwP®), a medium M240 machine gun, and a dual Coyote interceptor missile launcher. For drone detection, it uses the KuRFS sensor. The system also includes an M-ATV equipped with an integrated electronic warfare suite, armed with a heavy M2 machine gun mounted on a remote weapon station.
Both C-RAM and M-LIDS are deployed in various US bases in Iraq and Syria, having seen considerable action in recent months. This has led the US Army to make a rapid acquisition of 600 Coyote 2C interceptors in February of this year.
Cover collage: IDF; US Army
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