History
The Phalanx Close-In Weapons System (CIWS) was developed as the last line of automated weapons defense (terminal defense or point defense) against anti-ship missiles (AShMs), including high-g and maneuvering sea-skimmers. The first prototype system was offered to the U.S. Navy for evaluation on USS King in 1973 and it was determined that additional improvements were required to improve performance and reliability. Subsequently, the Phalanx Operational Suitability Model (OSM ) successfully completed Operational Test and Evaluation (OPEVAL) onboard USS Bigelow in 1977. OSM exceeded operational maintenance, reliability, and availability specifications. DSARC-III followed OPEVAL which was followed by approval for production in 1978. Phalanx production started with orders for 23 USN and 14 Foreign Military Sales (FMS) systems. The first ship fully fitted out was the USS America in 1980. The Navy began placing CIWS systems on non-combatant vessels in 1984.
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