C-RAM Centurion

The Counter-Rocket, Artillery, and Mortar system, known as Centurion, is a land-based adaptation of the Navy's Phalanx Close-In Weapon System. It pairs a 20mm M61A1 Gatling gun firing high-explosive self-destructing rounds with a Ku-band radar and electro-optical/infrared tracker, engaging incoming rockets and mortars inside the last few seconds of flight.

Fielded in theater from 2005 onward, C-RAM became a fixture of large forward operating bases in Iraq and Afghanistan, where it reliably defeated insurgent indirect fire. The system has seen continued use in the Middle East and has been adapted for counter-drone engagements as low-cost UAS threats proliferated.

Related Systems