The United States Embassy in Baghdad is defending its diplomatic compound from projectiles launched from the outside with the help of an armament system that fires thousands of rounds per minute, illuminating the night sky with streaks of fire.
The C-RAM (Counter-Rocket, Artillery, Mortar) system is equipped with a 20mm Gatling gun capable of firing approximately 4,500 rounds per minute, as reported by CNN.
It operates in conjunction with radars, sensors, and communication modules and is mounted on a mobile platform of about 35 tons, allowing it to quickly detect and destroy approaching projectiles.
According to a report by the Missile Defense Advocacy Alliance, the 20mm ammunition used by this system is designed to hit both aerial and ground targets, with a range of about 2,000 meters.
The sound it produces is impressive.
The cartridges are also equipped with a self-destruct mechanism to reduce the risk of accidental damage if the target is missed.
The C-RAM system is a land-based version of the naval Phalanx Close-in Weapons System, considered the last line of defense for American warships against cruise missiles or other threats that manage to bypass longer-range defensive systems.
The naval version gained attention in 2024 when the American destroyer Gravely used the system to shoot down a missile launched by Houthi rebels in the Red Sea, which came within less than a mile of the ship.
The land-based version of the system has been used by the U.S. military to protect military bases in Iraq and Afghanistan since 2004 and has been used thousands of times to intercept rockets, shells, and mortars launched at these installations.
On the 18th day of the Middle East war, the U.S. Embassy and the Green Zone in Baghdad were once again targeted by drones and rockets.
Sources in the Iraqi security described the attack as the most intense since the beginning of the current series of strikes, and the American embassy had issued a new alert for U.S. citizens a few hours earlier, warning of the threat posed by Iran-aligned militias.
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