Photo Of The Day – A close-in weapon system, or CIWS for short, is a point-defense weapon system for detecting and destroying incoming missiles and enemy aircraft which may have penetrated the outer defenses. It looks a bit like R2D2 in Star Wars when it has its full suite of panels on. It works well on drones.

Most of the time we see them on ships, but we get a closer look today as the Fire Control Technician is working on the system. Below you can see him as he verifies that the barrels are locked.

Close-In Weapons System (CIWS)

Below: Loading rounds into the Close-In Weapons System (CIWS) at the Engineering Mount Facility, onboard Naval Surface Warfare Center Indian Head Explosive Ordnance Disposal Technology Division, Picatinny Detachment.

The M62 Vulcan cannon has 6-barrels and uses the 20×102 mm cartridge.

All pictures by the U.S. Navy, Matthew Poynor.

For a picture of the CIWS in action, check out the Close-in Weapons System (M62 Vulcan) POTD.