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-Short Attention Span Theater-
Wild moment US Navy phalanx anti-aircraft gun trains its sights on passenger 737 as sailors laugh and tell the autonomous gun 'no no no'
2023-09-27
The New Navy.
[MAIL] Footage shows the anti-aircraft system aiming its Gatling gun at the plane flying through the sky. It's unclear where exactly the incident took place.
If true, no laughing matter. No, not at all.
A sailor is heard shouting: 'No, no, no,' while chuckling as the weapon continues to track it.

It eventually powers down and loses interest in the aircraft and another relieved crew member is heard saying: 'Jesus!'

The pair then laugh and the first sailor continues to say: 'No, oh man.'

The MK 15 Phalanx has a tracking antenna, which is automatically aimed toward what it perceives to be a threat along with its powerful cannon.

It sends the information to its computer system until a probable hit is determined, which is when the electrically driven motors move the gun into the proper position and keep tracking the object.
Posted by:Besoeker

#12  And Phalanx cannot possibly reach the altitudes that a 737 flies it. It is a close-in weapon system.

They do take off and land at sea level airports, and there was no zoom used on that camera.

If they are noob sailors it would be out of the norm. I wouldn't underestimate that age group's inability to understand common things, especially if they think they are on the verge of tiktok famous.
Posted by: swksvolFF   2023-09-27 16:22  

#11  Skynet testing its weapons.
Posted by: DarthVader   2023-09-27 12:46  

#10  Why did the word "SkyNet" suddenly pop into my brain?
Posted by: Warthog   2023-09-27 11:14  

#9  Oh look, crazy conspiracy theories. What a surprise.
Posted by: Otto Gurly-Brown9938   2023-09-27 09:59  

#8  The reaction of the sailors watching the CIWS seems to indicate what they were seeing was not the norm.
Posted by: M. Murcek   2023-09-27 09:10  

#7  If the system is on, it's supposed to track targets. There's multiple "enable fire" switches that have to be turned on before it goes bang.
The Navy (and everybody else that has anti-air weapons) routinely track civilian targets, to make sure that the equipment works. For that matter, the subs do it too, just nobody gets to see it.
Posted by: ed in texas   2023-09-27 09:07  

#6  TWA Flight 800

A Brief History Of Civilian Planes That Have Been Shot Down

Posted by: Skidmark   2023-09-27 07:07  

#5  After 27 years, TWA Flight 800 is still fresh in the memory of many.
Posted by: Besoeker   2023-09-27 06:12  

#4  Now ask.
What if it was equipped with A.I. controlled?

BTW:
Effective firing range:1,625 yd (max. effective range) 135 yds under a mile.

With a maximum firing range:6,000 yd about 3.4 miles
But we are talking civil NON-armored Jet, that bird strikes have brought down.
Posted by: NN2N1   2023-09-27 06:08  

#3  ^ Setting aside questions of authenticity and real life safety measures, the video depicts plane far below cruising altitude. You can have my seat on the "in anger" reenactment.
Posted by: Elmique Pheresh4813   2023-09-27 05:10  

#2  Suggesting the Phalanx was the only 'alerted' defensive fire system is naive.
Posted by: Skidmark   2023-09-27 05:04  

#1  And Phalanx cannot possibly reach the altitudes that a 737 flies it. It is a close-in weapon system.

Duh.
Posted by: Harcourt Tholuse6841   2023-09-27 04:25  

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