Counter-Rocket, Artillery, and Mortar system, or C-RAM on early Tuesday sprang to life with lethal precision as a fresh drone and rocket attack targeted the US embassy in Baghdad.C-RAM, which is essentially a land-based variant of the Navy’s Phalanx close-in weapon system, locked onto an incoming projectile, whether a low-flying drone or rocket, and within seconds the automated 20mm M61A1 Gatling gun unleashed a storm of fire.An AFP journalist reported seeing black smoke rising after an explosion in the embassy complex, as well as air defences intercepting another drone.The security official said that “three drones and four rockets attacked the embassy, with at least one drone crashing inside it.”Hours earlier, air defences thwarted a rocket attack at the embassy.In the video shared on X, the distinctive, high-pitched roar filled the air as the cannon spun up to 4,500 rounds per minute, spitting out streams of high-explosive incendiary tracer ammunition in tightly controlled bursts. Bright muzzle flashes lit up the darkness like rapid strobe lights, while glowing tracer rounds arced upward in chains, stitching across the sky toward the threat.Eyewitness footage captured the moment of interception, with the incoming object disintegrated mid-air in a sudden flash of sparks and debris, shredded by the wall of tungsten projectiles before it could reach its target. Fragments rained down harmlessly or burned out, neutralising what could have been a direct strike on one of America’s most heavily guarded diplomatic outposts in the region.
How C-RAM works?
The Counter-Rocket, Artillery and Mortar (C-RAM) system is built to shield military bases, embassies and critical infrastructure from incoming rockets, artillery shells and mortar fire.Developed by the US Army during the Iraq war, a rapid-fire platform was originally designed to intercept missiles. Its land-based variant was adapted to tackle short-range threats typical of insurgent attacks.
US C-RAM defence system
C-RAM integrates radar sensors, fire-control software and a high-speed rotary cannon to detect, track and neutralise incoming projectiles mid-air. Once a threat is identified, the system quickly calculates its trajectory and fires bursts of ammunition to intercept it before impact.
How C-RAM works
The network combines components such as the AN/TPQ-36 Firefinder radar and Lightweight Counter Mortar Radar, which detect projectiles soon after launch. A command-and-control system then predicts the point of impact and issues timely warnings to personnel on the ground. Unlike its naval counterpart, the land-based system uses self-destructing ammunition to minimise the risk of civilian harm from falling debris. Widely deployed at US bases and diplomatic facilities in Iraq and Afghanistan, C-RAM remains a key last-line defence against incoming attacks.
