Video: U.S. Army tests land-based Phalanx system during air defense exercise

Monthlong training at Fort Sill certified crews on the Land-Based Phalanx Weapon System and assessed their ability to respond to rockets, artillery shells and mortar rounds

The U.S. Army conducted a mission readiness exercise at Fort Sill, Oklahoma, involving the Land-Based Phalanx Weapon System (LPWS), a ground-based version of the well-known Phalanx system adapted to protect installations and military units against short-range aerial threats.

The activity was conducted by the 5th Battalion, 5th Air Defense Artillery Regiment (5-5 ADA), assigned to the 31st Air Defense Artillery Brigade. The training lasted approximately one month and focused on certifying the crews responsible for operating the system.

Held in August 2026, the Mission Readiness Exercise evaluated different stages of LPWS employment, ranging from technical inspections and equipment preparation to procedures for detecting, tracking and intercepting simulated threats.

The main objective was to strengthen the battalion’s C-RAM — Counter-Rocket, Artillery and Mortar — capability, designed to protect troops and installations against rockets, artillery projectiles and mortar rounds.

Footage released by the U.S. Army shows Soldiers inspecting the system and operating cells responsible for engagement management. According to the 31st Air Defense Artillery Brigade, the exercise also assessed the crews’ ability to identify, track and respond to aerial threats in a simulated operational environment.

The Land-Based Phalanx Weapon System is derived from the naval Phalanx CIWS and uses a high-rate rotary cannon integrated with sensors and fire-control systems. In its ground-based configuration, the system forms part of a layered defense architecture primarily intended to protect strategic sites against threats that penetrate other defensive barriers.

The exercise also featured 1st Lt. John Blackington of the 5-5 ADA, who discussed the objectives of the activity in a video released by the U.S. Department of Defense.

Source and images: U.S. Army / 31st Air Defense Artillery Brigade / DVIDS
Video: Capt. Madison Fuentes and Sgt. Arthur Gonzalez