On Monday, ISIS-K reportedly launched a new attack
even as the U.S. withdrawal from Kabul reached the final stage.
The Hamid Karzai International Airport was targeted with more than a half-dozen
artillery rockets at 6 AM local time.
The rockets were fired from a location two to four miles to the west in the Lab-e-Jar area of Kabul,
well within the city limits and technically under Taliban control.
While several rockets were fired few fell on the Aria township which is directly adjacent to the
airport’s southwestern corner. Five rockets streaked towards Kabul international airport
where evacuation flights remained underway and were successfully taken
out by U.S Army's C-RAM or Counter-Rocket, Artillery, Mortar system deployed in the base.
In this video Defense Updates reports on the Centurion C-RAM system that
intercepted ISIS-K rockets. Let's get onto the details.
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As per reports, the projectiles were Type 63-2 rockets or a regionally manufactured clone.
The Type 63 HE-Fragmentation Spin-Stabilized Rocket is an electrically initiated
rocket incorporating a high-explosive fragmentation warhead.
It is normally fired from a trailer- or truck-mounted multiple launchers,
but may also be fired from single-tube launchers mounted on small boats and vehicles.
It is a barrage weapon used against personnel and material.
The rocket has a diameter of 107-millimeter,
has a 1.3 kg or 2.9-pound TNT warhead and a maximum range of 5 miles or 8 km.
A fixed amount of propellant is contained in the rocket motor
and the rocket is stabilized with a slow spin.
These rockets are generally not accurate but since the warhead is of decent size,
these can inflict significant damage if one lands near a building, vehicle or personnel.
Luckily the rocket volley was limited in volume, and the angle of approach was such
that it could be countered by the U.S. Army's Centurion C-RAM system protecting the airport.
The Centurion is a land-based variant of Phalanx Close In-Weapon Systems mounted on U.S. Navy
warships, intended to serve as a last-ditch defense against incoming anti-ship missiles.
Seeking a solution to continual rocket and mortar attacks on bases in Iraq,
the U.S. Army requested a quick-to-field anti-projectile system in May 2004,
as part of its Counter-Rocket, Artillery, Mortar initiative.
The end result of this program was the "Centurion".
For all intents and purposes a terrestrial version of the Navy's CIWS,
the Centurion was rapidly developed, with a proof-of-concept test in November that same year.
Deployment to Iraq began in 2005, where it was set up to protect
forward operating bases and other high-value sites in and around the capital, Baghdad.
In 2008, there were more than 20 Centurion systems protecting bases in the U.S. Central
Command area of operations. A Raytheon spokesman told the Navy Times that 105
attacks were defeated by the systems, most of them involving mortars.
Based on the success of Centurion, 23 additional systems were ordered in September 2008.
The self-contained trailer-based system consists of a modified Phalanx 1B CIWS,
powered by an attached generator and mounted on a trailer for mobility. Including the same
20 mm M61A1 Gatling gun, the unit is likewise capable of firing 4,500 20–mm rounds per minute.
The M61 Vulcan is a hydraulically, electrically or pneumatically driven, six-barrel, air-cooled,
electrically fired Gatling-style rotary cannon. The M61 was originally produced by General
Electric. After several mergers and acquisitions, it is currently produced by General Dynamics.
Like the 1B naval version of Phalanx, Centurion uses Ku-band radar and FLIR
or Forward-looking infrared cameras to detect and track incoming projectiles.
Viewers may note that the Ku band is the portion of the electromagnetic spectrum
in the microwave range of frequencies from 12 to 18 gigahertz (GHz).
Importantly Centurion is also capable of engaging
surface targets, with the system able to reach a minus-25-degree elevation.
The system can autonomously detect and engage threats.
Centurion is reportedly capable of defending a 0.5 sq mi or 1.3 km2 area.
One major difference between the land- and sea-based variants is the choice of
ammunition. Whereas naval Phalanx systems fire tungsten armor-piercing rounds, the Centurion
uses the 20–mm HEIT-SD (High-Explosive Incendiary Tracer, Self-Destruct)
ammunition, originally developed for the M163 Vulcan Air Defense System.
These rounds explode on impact with the target, or on tracer burnout,
thereby greatly reducing the risk of collateral damage from rounds that fail to hit their target.
Centurion is a robust system. Even Israel purchased a single system for testing
purposes and was reported to have considered buying the system to counter rocket attacks and
defend point military installations. However, the swift and effective development and performance of
Israel's indigenous Iron Dome system has ruled out any further purchase or deployment of Centurion.
The rocket attack indicates that the threat from IS
remains credible. It is clear that these elements possess
and operate different types of ammunition, some of which can cause a lot of damage.
The strike also brings into focus the kind of challenges
U.S bases around the world may have to deal with - a multi-million dollar
aircraft can be rendered useless with relatively primitive weapons.