What's the best defense against Iran's drones?

[WorldWatcher]

View attachment 1227124

Kindly. That is a CWIS (Close In Weapons System) pronounced "C-wis". Not sea witch.

The system contains about 1,550 rounds of ammo that is fired at a rate of about 4,500 rounds per minute.

It goes from full to empty in about 15-20 seconds.

Reload times have improved for properly prepared varients from about 30 minutes to 5 minutes by a two man crew.

The system doesn't fire a single round per target, it uses continious fire until the target is destroyed.

So while very effective as a last point defense system against a limited number of incoming targets, it can be overwhelmed with swarms that deplete it's limited ammo and arrive before it can be reloaded.

Don't get me wrong, I'm NOT saying CWIS (and its land variant CRAM) are bad, I'm saying they have their limitations. 5 minutes while under a swarm attack is an eternity.

WW

 

[JohnDB]

From Grok:
Ukraine's interceptors, refined over four years of defending against Russian drone swarms, achieve over 70% success rates at a fraction of Patriot missile costs—around $10,000 per unit versus $4 million—offering scalable air defense economics.

 

[The Duke]

I doubt the MAGA base are happy, and they will be even less happy when they can't afford fuel for their cars and their factories start closing down and body bags start coming home, and if there is one thing Americans think about it's money, Trump has gone full on Caligula which is no surprise with Knight Templar tribute acts like Hegseth who is a Christian fundamentalist fruitcake.

Man, Shut up b4 I smack you with a ham sammich!

 

[MisterBeale]

Dude, all those "influencers" and podcasts are paid propaganda, too.
Oh, and Thank You!

I agree.

However, bear in mind, most of them are paid, not by the government or the corporate interests of the advertisers, (which could be said to be funded by the global overlords,) but by the number's of views.

The podcast media space is far more competitive, and those competing in that space are forced to provide the most accurate and/or engaging content to compete. Accuracy and/or engagement is rewarded in that media space. OTH, corporate propaganda is far less responsive to the desires of the American population.

There are very real & relevant qualitative reasons why the dinosaur media is starting to lose engagement to the on-line media space. But that is a whole other debate. . .

yw.

 

[Hafar1014]

Stopping a swarm with a swarm is likely how it will be successful.

Things can get complicated in a hurry.....especially if one drone of the drone swarm is an EW device of some sort....that can make a mess of intercepting defensive capabilities.

We are always looking to create electronic solutions for mechanical problems.....not exactly a great idea.

Kindly. That is a CWIS (Close In Weapons System) pronounced "C-wis". Not sea witch.

The system contains about 1,550 rounds of ammo that is fired at a rate of about 4,500 rounds per minute.

It goes from full to empty in about 15-20 seconds.

Reload times have improved for properly prepared varients from about 30 minutes to 5 minutes by a two man crew.

The system doesn't fire a single round per target, it uses continious fire until the target is destroyed.

So while very effective as a last point defense system against a limited number of incoming targets, it can be overwhelmed with swarms that deplete it's limited ammo and arrive before it can be reloaded.

Don't get me wrong, I'm NOT saying CWIS (and its land variant CRAM) are bad, I'm saying they have their limitations. 5 minutes while under a swarm attack is an eternity.

WW

The Navy has also deployed a laser and so far Irans drones have been a total failure

 

[Blaster]

Apache Helicopters can shoot down drones.

 

[Admiral Rockwell Tory]

View attachment 1227124

That's CIWS or see-whiz. Close-In Weapons System. Not sea witch!

 

[Mushroom]

View attachment 1227124

Known as CIWS.

On land it's known as C-RAM.

 

[MisterBeale]

I doubt the MAGA base are happy, and they will be even less happy when they can't afford fuel for their cars and their factories start closing down and body bags start coming home, and if there is one thing Americans think about it's money, Trump has gone full on Caligula which is no surprise with Knight Templar tribute acts like Hegseth who is a Christian fundamentalist fruitcake.

 

[Admiral Rockwell Tory]

Kindly. That is a CWIS (Close In Weapons System) pronounced "C-wis". Not sea witch.

The system contains about 1,550 rounds of ammo that is fired at a rate of about 4,500 rounds per minute.

It goes from full to empty in about 15-20 seconds.

Reload times have improved for properly prepared varients from about 30 minutes to 5 minutes by a two man crew.

The system doesn't fire a single round per target, it uses continious fire until the target is destroyed.

So while very effective as a last point defense system against a limited number of incoming targets, it can be overwhelmed with swarms that deplete it's limited ammo and arrive before it can be reloaded.

Don't get me wrong, I'm NOT saying CWIS (and its land variant CRAM) are bad, I'm saying they have their limitations. 5 minutes while under a swarm attack is an eternity.

WW

It's a miracle some amateur didn't call it cheese-whiz!

 

[kyzr]

How much does a fighter jet cost?

A lot. Except the cheesy Iranian jets from Russian leftovers.
But that's not what Iran is generally using against the Gulf States.
Turkey shot one jet down, and an Israeli F35 shot one down, but its the thousands of missiles nd drones that need to e knocked down.

 

[Mushroom]

Don't get me wrong, I'm NOT saying CWIS (and its land variant CRAM) are bad, I'm saying they have their limitations. 5 minutes while under a swarm attack is an eternity.

And especially with C-RAM, there is simply nowhere near enough.

From what I understand, there are only 3 batteries of C-RAM, spread across 3 battalions. That is nowhere near enough, but Congress has not been willing to really spend money on air defense in ages. That is why after over two decades there are still only 5 THAAD batteries in the entire Army.

I knew some who were in the first two THAAD batteries, and they hated it. They were spending insane amounts of time deployed almost constantly, because there were only the two batteries and they were always in demand. Now there are five, and it's still the same problem.

There should be enough of them for each of our major bases out there to have at least a battery of C-RAM on site.

 

[Mushroom]

A lot. Except the cheesy Iranian jets from Russian leftovers.

Actually, a hell of a lot of the Iranian Air Force is not Soviet, it's American.

Their most numerous fighters are the F-4 Phantom II and the F-5 Tiger II. And of course they are the last nation to still use the F-14.

Half of their "Soviet Aircraft" are Su-24 FENCER that Iraq sent to them in the opening days of the Gulf War so the US would not destroy them.

Those are all good fighters, if your adversary is Saddam era Iraq or some other similar threat. But hopelessly antiquated compared to what the US and their allies are using.

 

[Admiral Rockwell Tory]

A lot. Except the cheesy Iranian jets from Russian leftovers.
But that's not what Iran is generally using against the Gulf States.
Turkey shot one jet down, and an Israeli F35 shot one down, but its the thousands of missiles nd drones that need to e knocked down.

Those fighter jets are the best defense against drones. The great thing is you don't expend anything but bullets and only a short burst does the job against the slow non-maneuverable targets. I would bet flying by at a high rate of speed would knock most of them out of the air.

 

[WorldWatcher]

The Navy has also deployed a laser and so far Irans drones have been a total failure

How many US Navy ships currently in the middle east theater have LASER anti-drone systems?

Hint: I believe the answer is none. They system is currently in development.

WW

 

[WorldWatcher]

Those fighter jets are the best defense against drones. The great thing is you don't expend anything but bullets and only a short burst does the job against the slow non-maneuverable targets. I would bet flying by at a high rate of speed would knock most of them out of the air.

Check out AGR-20 Advanced Precision Kill Weapon.

It changes the cost equation.

WW

 

[kyzr]

Those fighter jets are the best defense against drones. The great thing is you don't expend anything but bullets and only a short burst does the job against the slow non-maneuverable targets. I would bet flying by at a high rate of speed would knock most of them out of the air.

True. I know that Israeli pilots shot hundreds down during the 12-day war.

Kuwait accidently shot 3 of our F-15s down, so there is that, but I'm not sure how many US jets the Gulf states have, Oman, UAE, Qatar, Dubai, etc. I know the Sauds like US jets, I think the Kuwaitis like ours too.

I hate to see those fancy skyscrapers burning if any get past the jets.

 

[Hafar1014]

How many US Navy ships currently in the middle east theater have LASER anti-drone systems?

Hint: I believe the answer is none. They system is currently in development.

WW

Arleigh BUrck Class ships are deployed currently
The U.S. Navy is actively deploying high-energy laser weapons, specifically the 60-150 kW HELIOS system (High Energy Laser with Integrated Optical-dazzler and Surveillance), on Arleigh Burke-class destroyers like the USS Preble. These systems, capable of destroying drones and small boats at the speed of light for about $1 per shot, offer a cost-effective, "infinite magazine" defense against modern, low-cost threats.
Congress.gov +5
Key Details on Navy Laser Deployment:

• Active Systems: The HELIOS-150 (Mk 5 Mod 0) is the primary deployed system, designed to disrupt or destroy UAVs, small boats, and sensors.
• Operational Vessels: The USS Preble (DDG-88) has been equipped with HELIOS since 2022/2023. Other Arleigh Burke-class ships (DDG 81, 89, 122, 124, 127) have Aegis software integration to support potential future HELIOS installations.
• Capabilities & Performance: In 2024–2025 tests, HELIOS successfully disabled drones, demonstrating high precision. The laser can also act as an optical "dazzler" to blind enemy sensors.

 

[Admiral Rockwell Tory]

True. I know that Israeli pilots shot hundreds down during the 12-day war.

Kuwait accidently shot 3 of our F-15s down, so there is that, but I'm not sure how many US jets the Gulf states have, Oman, UAE, Qatar, Dubai, etc. I know the Sauds like US jets, I think the Kuwaitis like ours too.

I hate to see those fancy skyscrapers burning if any get past the jets.

Yeah, I'm waiting on the after-action report on that one, because you don't accidentally shoot down three F-15s.

 

[toobfreak]

My family were some of those that did stop Hitler

Good, so were mine.

the economic shit has already started to hit the fan,

It has? Coulda fooled me. Considering the epic scope of this war, I think the effects so far have been about as good as expected, in fact, the other day, one expert reported that the impact has so far been better than expected. But like most things, if the war goes the way it appears to be (yesterday, Iran was reported to already be 86% contained), any effects will be transitory lasting just a few weeks or months, or to put it otherwise, if we could live through three years of Covid and two years of shutdown, we can survive anything, yet, did you have as much dread for shutting down the entire economy and country for two years?

good luck when it really does then where will your Israel first bullshit be then?

What will be your bullshit when it doesn't? I seem to recall doom & gloom forecasts as well when Trump started the tariffs, none of which ever really materialized.