2014 War Against the Islamic State

C-RAM in the 2014 War Against the Islamic State

Coalition C-RAM and Land-Based Phalanx systems were documented at Al Asad Air Base in Iraq and Al-Tanf Garrison in Syria, with U.S. Army reporting describing LPWS/C-RAM as defending U.S. and coalition troops in Iraq and Syria from more than 100 attacks.

Weapon profileCounter Rocket, Artillery, and Mortar system / C-RAM
SideAnti-ISIS coalition and partner forcesRoleAir DefenseForce Protection
Counter Rocket, Artillery, and Mortar system / C-RAM, Land-based close-in weapon system, Air Defense - 2014 War Against the Islamic State
Image source: Commons PACFIRE image

Evidence Map

ClaimSources
Coalition forces fielded and fired a land-based Phalanx/C-RAM system at Al Asad Air Base, Iraq, during Operation Inherent Resolve.

Sources: DVIDS Al Asad C-RAM Test Fire

A 20 mm Land-Based Phalanx Weapon System was operated at Al-Tanf Garrison, Syria, by the 218th Field Artillery Regiment attached to Task Force Armadillo.

Sources: DVIDS Al-Tanf Phalanx PACFIRE

LPWS/C-RAM defended U.S. and coalition troops in Iraq and Syria from more than 100 attacks.

Sources: Army Dragonslayer LPWS Deployment

The documented role was base and force protection against incoming projectiles, with LPWS described as a C-RAM component using a 20 mm Vulcan cannon, radars, and sensors.

Sources: Army Dragonslayer LPWS Deployment, DVIDS Al-Tanf Phalanx PACFIRE

Timeline

Counter Rocket, Artillery, and Mortar system / C-RAM In 2014 War Against the Islamic State

  1. C-RAM/land-based Phalanx firing documented at Al Asad

    CJTF-OIR video documented a pre-action aim calibration firing by a land-based Phalanx weapon system at Al Asad Air Base, Iraq.

    Sources: DVIDS Al Asad C-RAM Test Fire

  2. Army summarizes LPWS/C-RAM defense in Iraq and Syria

    U.S. Army reporting described LPWS as part of C-RAM and said the systems had successfully defended U.S. and coalition troops in Iraq and Syria from more than 100 attacks.

    Sources: Army Dragonslayer LPWS Deployment

  3. 20 mm Land-Based Phalanx fired at Al-Tanf

    CJTF-OIR media documented a 20 mm Land-Based Phalanx Weapon System operated by the 218th Field Artillery Regiment, attached to Task Force Armadillo, during a PACFIRE exercise at Al-Tanf Garrison, Syria.

    Sources: DVIDS Al-Tanf Phalanx PACFIRE

Documented Use

Direct proof of use

C-RAM use in the anti-ISIS campaign is directly documented through Combined Joint Task Force - Operation Inherent Resolve media and U.S. Army reporting. On May 24, 2016, CJTF-OIR video showed a pre-action aim calibration firing by a land-based Phalanx weapon system at Al Asad Air Base, Iraq, with DVIDS tagging the item for C-RAM, ISIL, OIR, CJTF-OIR, Al Asad, and Phalanx.

Later CJTF-OIR media placed a 20 mm Land-Based Phalanx Weapon System at Al-Tanf Garrison, Syria, on February 26, 2025. The DVIDS video identifies the system as operated by the 218th Field Artillery Regiment, attached to Task Force Armadillo, and says the PACFIRE exercise calibrated the system for more accurate fire during engagements.

Sources: DVIDS Al Asad C-RAM Test Fire, DVIDS Al-Tanf Phalanx PACFIRE

Timeline

The first dated source in this record is the May 2016 Al Asad firing, which documents a land-based Phalanx/C-RAM system at a coalition base in Iraq during Operation Inherent Resolve.

A September 2024 Army article described LPWS as an integral part of C-RAM and said LPWS/C-RAM had defended U.S. and coalition troops in Iraq and Syria from more than 100 attacks. In February 2025, CJTF-OIR media again documented a 20 mm Land-Based Phalanx system firing at Al-Tanf Garrison in Syria.

Sources: DVIDS Al Asad C-RAM Test Fire, Army Dragonslayer LPWS Deployment, DVIDS Al-Tanf Phalanx PACFIRE

Operational role

The documented role was coalition base defense against indirect-fire and other incoming-projectile threats rather than an offensive fires mission. The Army describes LPWS as a component of the Counter Rocket, Artillery and Mortar system, using a 20 mm Vulcan cannon with radars and sensors to engage incoming projectiles.

The Iraq and Syria examples show C-RAM as a fixed-site or deployed force-protection asset around coalition locations. The Al Asad source documents maintenance and calibration firing at an Iraqi air base; the Al-Tanf source documents a Task Force Armadillo system in Syria and connects calibration to engagement accuracy; the Army source supplies the broader theater claim that LPWS/C-RAM defended U.S. and coalition troops in Iraq and Syria from more than 100 attacks.

Sources: Army Dragonslayer LPWS Deployment, DVIDS Al Asad C-RAM Test Fire, DVIDS Al-Tanf Phalanx PACFIRE

Related Weapons by Role

20mm Mk 15 Phalanx, Shipboard close-in weapon system, Naval SystemsNaval Systems20mm Mk 15 PhalanxShipboard close-in weapon systemThe 20mm Mk 15 Phalanx is a U.S.-origin shipboard close-in weapon system built around an M61A1 Gatling gun, self-contained search and track radar, and automated fire-control functions. Navy and manufacturer sources describe it as the U.S. Navy's inner-layer defense against anti-ship missiles, aircraft, unmanned aircraft, and small surface threats; direct combat-use evidence includes USS Jarrett's Gulf War Phalanx firing during the Iraqi Silkworm engagement near USS Missouri and USS Gravely's Red Sea interception of a Houthi anti-ship missile.
RIM-116 Rolling Airframe Missile, Ship-launched surface-to-air missile, MunitionsMunitionsRIM-116 Rolling Airframe MissileShip-launched surface-to-air missileThe RIM-116 Rolling Airframe Missile is a U.S.-German ship self-defense missile used with the MK 31 RAM guided missile weapon system and SeaRAM launchers. U.S. Navy and Raytheon sources describe it as a lightweight, quick-reaction, fire-and-forget weapon for close defense against anti-ship missiles and other air or surface threats, while Red Sea reporting documents a German frigate firing a RIM-116 against Houthi drones in 2024.
M940 MPT-SD cartridge, 20 mm multi-purpose tracer self-destruct cartridge, MunitionsMunitionsM940 MPT-SD cartridge20 mm multi-purpose tracer self-destruct cartridgeThe M940 MPT-SD is a U.S. 20x102 mm multi-purpose tracer self-destruct cartridge for the land-based Phalanx / C-RAM firing chain. Northrop Grumman identifies M940-1 and M940-2 as C-RAM-fired rounds, Army ammunition material describes LPWS/C-RAM employing M940 against incoming rockets, artillery shells, and mortar rounds, and FY2027 budget material lists AC34 M940 w/MK7 Link procurement through Northrop Grumman and General Dynamics option lines.
Harpoon Coastal Defense System (HCDS), Mobile coastal anti-ship missile system, Naval SystemsNaval SystemsHarpoon Coastal Defense System (HCDS)Mobile coastal anti-ship missile systemHarpoon Coastal Defense System (HCDS) is a land-based Harpoon launch-system package built around mobile launcher transporter units, radar trucks, command-and-launch equipment, and RGM-84L-4 Harpoon Block II missiles. U.S. records identify Boeing as the principal contractor for Taiwan's HCDS sale, document follow-on launcher and missile-package contracts, and separately record two Harpoon coastal defense systems funded for Ukraine after Russia's full-scale invasion.
2 more weapons
Back to Counter Rocket, Artillery, and Mortar system / C-RAMBrowse 2014 War Against the Islamic State

Sources