Taiwan to take delivery of advanced Block 1B Phalanx gun system

Taipei, April 8 (CNA) The Navy is expected to begin taking delivery of the MK15 Block 1B Phalanx advanced radar-controlled gun system from the United States within the first half of this year, military sources said Thursday.

The plan is to have them mounted on the country's naval ships, which are mostly equipped with the outdated Block 1A Phalanx, it said, noting that the U.S. government has already notified Taiwan of the delivery schedule of the 13 sets of Block 1B.

According to the Ministry of National Defense, the Phalanx is a close-in weapon system for defense against incoming threats such as small boats and anti-ship missiles.

The Block 1B Phalanx features a 20mm cannon with a rotating cluster of six barrels that can fire 4,500 rounds per minute with a range of 1.5 kilometers. The Block 1B model is also equipped with search and track radar and a forward-looking infrared sensor that makes the weapon effective against surface targets.