Writing requires Research so I've read a lot about US Naval weapons systems when writing "Stealing Thunder Series" novels.

One is the Phalanx.

• After five decades at sea, the U.S. Navy’s Phalanx Close-In Weapon System finally scored a kill.

• Deployed on the USS Gravely, the weapon shot down an incoming Houthi anti-ship missile.

• Phalanx combines a 20-mm Gatling gun and radar system to automatically shoot down anything that gets too close to its ship.

From Popular Mechanics:

In a landmark engagement last week in the Red Sea, a U.S. Navy destroyer shot down an incoming Houthi anti-ship cruise missile, suggesting the ship’s long-range weapons systems failed to neutralize the threat. The Arleigh Burke-class destroyer USS Gravely instead relied on its Mk-15 Phalanx Close-In Weapon System (CISW) to intercept the missile just under a mile from the ship.

On the one hand, it’s a win for the Phalanx, which has not scored a kill in its 40 years of service—not a bad thing, considering it’s the Navy’s so-called “last line of defense.” But on the other hand, we don’t know the exact details of the engagement, so it’s unclear if the use of Phalanx over other systems was intentional. This was, after all, a close call.

Original article here